Now now Pauly n Issy.

Can we get back to Lidia's dubious "value" to Aboriginal Australia?!

Like Xena* she's our Slayer of the Racist Referendum.

* http://youtu.be/KxhDbNlUHlk?t=25s

Integrity in politics should be common practice amongst all politicians.

http://www.zalisteggall.com.au/there_needs_to_be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIjUdV35ZkI

All Lidia needed to do was to disclose her relationship and this whole situation could have been avoided, but I'm not sure about dating someone once associated with a bikie gang. I not sure how well the general public and others would take that.

I think Lidia Thorpe will continue to face intense scrutiny by the media and others and she faces a censure motion in parliament from Pauline Hanson. This will distract from Lidia's work role and focus. It will impact on getting a voice to parliament and advancement in areas like bridging the gap.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/lidia-thorpe-to-face-censure-motion-amid-calls-to-resign-from-senate-over-bikie-relationship/8kanukb8y

I see no value in referring to other people here either. The Greens must hold their own members to account, and this will hopefully flow onto others of parliament as poor standards will not be tolerated. No double standards should apply.

"In recent years we’ve watched as the (Liberal) federal government get more brazen, cocky and corrupt. We’ve had Sport Rorts, Carporks, Watergate and dodgy deals that saw taxpayer money handed to gas donors of the Liberal, National and Labor parties to destroy our environment."

http://greens.org.au/campaigns/federal-icac-now

Yes, I do think other politicians have a lot to answer for, and a number of those with bad records have remarkably stayed silent on this issue. I hope the other parties that want Lidia out will clean up their own game and improve standards across the board.

LIDIA's "APOLOGY" :)

Well Lidia, loving the media spotlight, made her "apology" in the Senate today, virtually proclaiming First Nations' Joan of Arc status.

Check out her tone http://youtu.be/o4JwRfNgIvo

Critics may typify her as "the cats got the cream" or even an "A---Hole".

But get used to it those contemplating voting "Yes" to Albanese's Referendum.

If passed Lidia will no longer need to apologise. Her misdoings will all be Secret First Nation's Parliamentary Business - as protected by the Constitution.

ie. held above mere laws that govern the rest of us.

Keep it up Lidia, sink the Referendum!

"Integrity in politics should be common practice amongst all politicians."

Hi Nathan, that may well be the ideal, but politicians only reflect the integrity levels of the general community. Integrity is often exceeded by opportunity, and some don't see integrity as a stumbling block to opportunity. Does the doctor ripping off 'Medicare' believe he is compromising his integrity, no, he is simply taking advantage of opportunity. If a doctor is willing to take such an advantage, why wouldn't a politician?

Paul,

<<that may well be the ideal, but politicians only reflect the integrity levels of the general community.>>

I don't know what "integrity levels" are, how they are relevant here or how one would define them, so the best thing to do is to ensure that members of parliament who make decisions on our behalf take integrity seriously - as they should.

Having standards in place for members of parliament, so they know (and the community) what the boundaries are, and politicians act accordingly is a step in the right direction.

Independent Helen Haines MP is now calling for a code of conduct for MP's and I agree.

http://www.crikey.com.au/2022/10/21/helen-haines-lidia-thorpe-bikie-relationship-parliament/

Making excuses for not maintaining high standards in politics (integrity included) is poor pathway to go down. I do believe others who take advantage of a system for their own gain are compromising integrity, including their own, regardless of how they see themselves.

"FAKE ABORIGINES"

On a related matter SBS' from its Insight "Indigenous Identity" episode aired in mid Octber 2022 reports http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/article/community-leaders-warn-many-who-claim-to-be-indigenous-could-be-fakes/bc6c8bneg

"Community Leaders warn many who claim to be Indigenous could be ‘fakes’"

"First Nations communities across Australia are struggling to cope with an influx of people who are not known or recognised by the people they claim to belong to, a number of senior First Nations community leaders have warned. They say fake claims can cause serious consequences.

...The 2021 Census reported a 25 per cent increase in the Indigenous population in the five years since the previous census.

In a phenomenon University of Sydney post-graduate student and Wiradjuri woman Suzanne Ingram described as “race-shifting”,

people, who for the bulk of their lives have identified as non-Indigenous Australians, are now “box-ticking” ‘Indigenous’ as their identity in the Census, at workplaces, within cultural institutions and in educational settings, to name just a few.

According to Ms Ingram, this race-shift begins with self-identification as an Indigenous person and leads to distortions of culture and people.

...However, she explained the problem lies not only with the individual, but also rests upon the non-Indigenous “enablers” who accept the potential misrepresentation, without having knowledge or qualifications to know what is truthful and what is cultural identity fraud.

University of Melbourne Professor, Bruce Pascoe, the award-winning author of Dark Emu, agreed this is a serious issue, telling Insight special host Karla Grant that he has witnessed the First Nations community change dramatically since he began identifying as a Yuin, Bunurong and Tasmanian man decades ago.

“I think we are in dangerous times, with that explosion of people identifying.”

"Mr Pascoe now holds the opinion that some who identified later in life “need to pull their heads in a bit.”

“What I have seen is recent identifiers coming with their income, and their education, usually acquired because they're not dark [skinned], skewing what is happening in local Aboriginal politics.”

MORE BELOW