Lidia Thorpe ‘shocked’ by CPAC’s use of her image in ads opposing Indigenous voice

Senator Lidia Thorpe has criticised the Conservative Political Action Conference Australia for using her image in its advertising against the voice to parliament, accusing the leading no campaign group of "disrespecting" Indigenous culture.

The former Greens member has also not ruled out supporting the yes side in the referendum, saying she was heartened the Albanese government was discussing Indigenous deaths in custody, although she again criticised the proposed voice to parliament as "powerless".

"I want to see how many lives we can save," Thorpe said. "If we're not going to save anyone's life before the referendum, what's the point?"

Thorpe quit the Greens in February to spearhead a "Blak Sovereign" movement, saying the party's decision to support the voice was the "icing on the cake". The senator advocates for a treaty with Indigenous people that goes further than a constitutionally enshrined voice.

CPAC Australia, chaired by the leading no campaigner Warren Mundine, launched two Facebook ads featuring photos of Thorpe. One launched on 17 February shows Thorpe in the Senate with a handbag painted with the Aboriginal flag. Text on the image reads: "How will a voice to parliament tackle problems in Indigenous communities? No one knows."

The other, launched on 3 March, features Thorpe speaking in public, her face decorated with traditional face paint. It is accompanied by a quote from her saying Indigenous people "deserve better than an advisory body".

Both ads claim the voice would "undermine Australia's democratic process" and "lead to a racial divide in our nation".

Thorpe told Guardian Australia she was "shocked" by the use of her image in the ads. She said the face paint worn in one photo, taken outside a federal court hearing in November 2022 as Tiwi Islands traditional owners sought to stop an offshore gas project, was a "sacred" traditional design placed on her by an Indigenous elder.

She conceded the photo had been taken in a public place but was critical of it being used in CPAC's anti-voice campaign.

"How dare they? How dare Warren [Mundine]? Warren has my number, he should have rang me, texted me, to ask permission.

"It shouldn't be there. I don't support their group and don't want to be associated with people like that."

Andrew Cooper, CPAC Australia's national director, did not apologise for using Thorpe's image. "If Senator Thorpe is concerned about CPAC using her public image on Facebook then she should contact us to discuss it instead of complaining in the press," he said. "She has yet to do that.

"As a politician keen on stunts and outrageous statements to gain national publicity, it's difficult to find a logical justification for detaching her image from the statements she makes."

Thorpe said she did not have a position on the voice for now, and did not rule out eventually supporting the yes side. She has previously called on the government to implement recommendations of the royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody and the Bringing Them Home report, as well as advance truth and treaty elements of the Uluru statement from the heart before supporting the referendum.

The Labor senator Pat Dodson, who is the government's envoy for reconciliation, this week backed immediate implementation of the royal commission recommendations.

Thorpe said she was "heartened" by Dodson's intervention but she wanted to see more action. "I'm not prepared to put my position [on the voice] until I see this government act," she said.

"Labor's full of words and no action. I'll continue to push for those recommendations. There's no point in any voice if it can't show that [the government] are, in good faith, committed right now."

Asked whether there was a pathway to her backing the referendum, Thorpe said it would hinge on action on those major reports but again criticised the proposed voice model.

But while not ruling out supporting yes, Thorpe said there was a "progressive no [vote] that I'd like to elevate in terms of fairness".

"It's not just a racist thing saying no," she said.

Thorpe will propose amendments to the Referendum Machinery Act to allow enrolment and voting on the day, to benefit Indigenous people who may not be enrolled, as well as extending phone voting for remote areas. She also wants the official information pamphlet to be translated into more traditional languages.