Victoria Just Elected Its First Female Indigenous State MP
"You cannot under-estimate what this means to so many people."
Lidia Thorpe will become the first Indigenous woman to serve in Victorian state parliament, after the Greens candidate won Saturday’s byelection in the Labor held inner-city seat of Northcote.
Thorpe defeated Labor candidate Clare Burns, with a swing of more than 11 percent. Polls had predicted a close win for Labor, with the party having held the seat for the past 90 years.
“We said we’d make history and we did,” said Thorpe in a post on Facebook. “I am so proud to be the first Aboriginal woman in the Victorian Parliament.”
“As a kid who left school at 14, I can’t tell you what it means to take my place as a strong Aboriginal voice at the heart of our Victorian Parliament,” Thorpe continued. “Tonight, and throughout this campaign, I’ve received so many messages from Aboriginal people, not just in Victoria but all over this country who are sharing this moment. You cannot under-estimate what this means to so many people.”
“My family and my culture made me who I am today. They are the reason I got into politics and they’re the reason I’m heading to Parliament.”
Thorpe also paid her respect to Family Violence Prevention Minister Fiona Richardson, who held the seat up until August, when she lost her battle with cancer.
“It was a difficult contest given the untimely death of Fiona Richardson and I have so much respect for the legacy she left,” said Thorpe. “My heart goes out to her family.”
The Greens now hold three seats in the Victorian lower house, in Northcote, Melbourne and Prahran. They are also expected to perform well in Brunswick and Richmond at the full state election in 2018.
Northcote also overlaps with the federal seat of Batman, where the Greens came within 1.03 percent of defeating Labor at the 2016 federal election.
Congratulations to Lidia Thorpe and the amazing Vic Greens members who have just seen us secure an historic victory in the seat of Northcote! So fantastic! Welcome Lidia and bring on the 2018 election!
— Richard Di Natale (@RichardDiNatale) November 18, 2017
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Feature image via Lidia Thorpe/Facebook