Colleagues of Lidia Thorpe have warned the rogue senator to ‘take responsibility for her actions’ after she ridiculed a man outside a strip club as having a ‘small penis’.
The independent senator, who recently defected from the Greens, was captured on video outside a Melbourne nightclub around 3am on Sunday morning arguing with a group of men.
In the footage, Senator Thorpe can be seen taunting a man the size of his genitals and telling another in a menacing tone: “You’re branded.”
During an appearance on Sky News on Monday, Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie said there was “no way out of this” and even suggested Ms Thorpe should go for counselling.
Lidia Thorpe’s colleagues in Parliament call on her to “take responsibility”
“I think when you go out so late and put yourself in this kind of situation, you better take responsibility for your actions,” Ms Lambie said.
“You are a politician, and sometimes we do stupid things, but not taking responsibility yourself is not very helpful.
“If you think you’re not on the right track, go do what the rest of us do – go get some counseling or some psychology because, frankly, something needs to be done.”
“But I would say this to Lidia: you just can’t keep doing this.
“A good start would be to admit that you are part of the problem and that responsibility for your own actions must be taken into your own hands.”
Ms Lambie acknowledged there was little Parliament could do to punish Ms Thorpe for her repeated involvement in incidents.
Not impressed: Jacqui Lambie had a real chat for her colleague Lidia Thorpe on Monday morning
Meanwhile, Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce said he was starting to “feel sorry” for Senator Thorpe.
“I think she needs to have some serious conversations with a few people about how she behaves and if it’s appropriate and how she puts herself in that position to act like that,” he told Channel 7. .
His teammate, Environment Minister Tanya Plibserk, said Senator Thorpe’s behavior was “obviously unacceptable”.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re an MP or an average person, I think that kind of behavior in public is just not acceptable.”
“As to whether Parliament should have the ability to intervene, I think that’s something we should look at very carefully.”
Mr Joyce said he did not believe Senator Thorpe should be kept out of Parliament.
“I think once you’re elected, you’re elected. It can come with a whole range of other issues that you can sort out in parliament, but the Australian people will kick you out in the next election,’ he said.
Senator Thorpe is not eligible for re-election until 2028.
In a statement, Senator Thorpe said she did not initiate the exchange, but responded to the taunts and harassment directed at her.
She said she had done nothing wrong.
“It’s sad that people are using everything they can to drag me down when we try to discuss important issues in this country,” she said.
Senator Thorpe has been contacted for comment.