Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe says she was mauled by the media and forced to admit she had a relationship with a former bikie when the pair only shared one kiss.
The former Greens senator, now an independent, was referred to the Senate’s privileges committee over allegations she failed to disclose a relationship with a former bikie despite sitting on a parliamentary law enforcement committee.
Senator Thorpe said she actually had no relationship with the ex-bikie but was told by Greens legal advisers to say they dated.
She previously said it was a mistake to not have disclosed the relationship but changed her tune on Tuesday.
“I had no relationship with that person. I was given legal advice by the Greens lawyer to say that I had dated this person,” she told the Senate.
“I got a call from that person that said, ‘Ah, did we date?’.
“We kissed once at a rally on the 26th of January. I had no idea who this person was or his background.”
The privileges committee examined whether Senator Thorpe’s alleged non-disclosure obstructed the work of the committee or if she had received confidential briefings related to bikies.
It found that while Senator Thorpe should have disclosed her relationship, she didn’t receive any relevant sensitive information and therefore shouldn’t be held in contempt.
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A teary Senator Thorpe said the committee’s recommendation that she not be held in contempt vindicated her.
“All you people thought that I had been running off with some biker gang,” she said.
“What kind of person do you think I am? I deserve an apology, from the leader of the Greens for one, because I lost my position.”
AAP has contacted Greens leader Adam Bandt for comment.
Senator Thorpe resigned from her leadership role with the party after the story broke in the media.
“For what? For a kiss on invasion day with some black man at a rally who happened to be an ex-biker,” she said.
“I didn’t ask for his resume.”
Senator Thorpe said she referred herself to the committee because she knew she had done nothing wrong.
“But my family and my community were hurting from the racism,” she said.
“I got mauled by the media, I got mauled by all of you in (the Senate) for something I did not do.”
The privileges committee has recommended declarations of any conflicts of interest should be handled consistently when committees meet to avoid any future issues.
-AAP
