Neil Mitchell clashes with Lidia Thorpe over ‘racist’ Aboriginal meeting

An event discussing Aboriginal Australian issues is underway in the city today, and non-indigenous people are not invited.

Promotional material for the event, a grassroots discussion on sovereignty, treaty and constitutional recognition, says it is for “sovereign first nations only”.

Organiser of the meeting, former Greens MP and indigenous woman Lidia Thorpe, spoke to Neil Mitchell about the meeting.

She said non-Aboriginal people will be allowed to help out in an administrative capacity, but are not invited to take part.

“We’re talking about a number of issues that the state and federal government have hijacked on our behalf, and this is about us taking back that agenda and having a conversation among ourselves,” she said.

“This is a conversation from an Aboriginal person’s perspective.”

Neil Mitchell labelled the meeting as discriminatory.

“To hold a meeting and to say it’s for ‘sovereign first nations only’ is by definition racist,” the 3AW Mornings host said.

Ms Thorpe hit back at Neil Mitchell.

“The problem in this country is that it’s shock jocks like yourself that bring in that race card and try and divide people,” she said.

Ms Thorpe said the meeting is not about Aboriginal people against non-Aboriginal people, it’s about a bigger issue.

“Remember we are the only Commonwealth country in the world that doesn’t have a treaty,” she said.

“I don’t oppose a treaty, what I oppose is a form of Australian apartheid,” Neil Mitchell replied.

Press PLAY below to hear the discussion between Neil Mitchell and Lidia Thorpe in full.