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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Tory Shepherd

What is parliamentary privilege and does it give Australian MPs total freedom of speech?

Lidia Thorpe Andrew Wilkie Freedom Of Speech Australia Hillsong James II Troy Stolz Britain

When Prince William of Orange and his Dutch army invaded Britain in 1688, King James II fled. The British parliament declared James had abdicated and offered the vacant throne to William, along with a manuscript that would make him a king.

That document became the 1689 Bill of Rights and it is the reason independent senator Lidia Thorpe could make allegations of sexual assault against Liberal senator David Van in parliament without fear of legal repercussions.

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