People pay attention to Lidia Thorpe in Australian politics not just because of her fiery speeches in the Senate or her bold activism, but also because her story is one of survival against the odds. As a Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab Wurrung woman, her journey from being a teenage mother to being in Parliament shows the complex identity of modern Indigenous leaders, which includes pain, pride, and power.
Many headlines ask, “Who is Lidia Thorpe’s husband?” but her life is about much more than that. It is about her fight for sovereignty, justice, and self-determination.
Lidia Thorpe’s Early Life & Family Background
Lidia Thorpe was born on August 18, 1973, in Carlton, Victoria. She grew up in the housing commission flats of Collingwood and Fitzroy. Her mother, Marjorie Thorpe, was a well-known community leader and former co-commissioner for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). Her grandmother, Alma Thorpe, was a pioneering activist who helped start the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service in 1973.
Thorpe often remembers what her grandmother said:
“Nan taught me that our people have always fought to stay alive. We don’t ask for permission to live.”
Roy Illingworth, her father, is of English and Irish descent. He became famous after he criticised his daughter on national television, saying she was “racist against white people.” But in the same interview, he changed his tone and said:
“She is still my daughter, and we love each other.” She doesn’t need mental help; she’s a strong woman.
The two have had a rocky relationship, but they have made up a few times. Thorpe herself said once:
“I come from two worlds, one of which took over the other. That’s the paradox of my existence, yet also my fortitude.
She grew up around activism and went to Fitzroy High School, but she left when she was 14 because she was bullied and faced racism. Those experiences were the foundation of her political and cultural identity: a young Black woman who learnt early on that justice wasn’t always guaranteed.
Schooling & early activism
Lidia Thorpe later got a diploma in community development from Swinburne University and finished a course in Aboriginal health work. She started supporting community programs and mentoring Indigenous youth who were at risk.
In 2008, she won the Fellowship for Indigenous Leadership, which was a big deal and put her on the path to becoming a national leader.
Thorpe worked in housing programs, child protection, and Aboriginal health services before getting into politics. People were always at the centre of her work life. Once she said:
“School wasn’t where I learnt; it was in the community, on the streets, and in the stories of my people.”
She was already known as a community leader in Melbourne’s north by the time she was in her late 20s. She fought for housing rights and the recognition of traditional owners.
Political Growth & Representation
Lidia Thorpe made history in 2017 when she became the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to the Victorian Parliament. She represented Northcote for the Greens. In her first speech, she paid tribute to her ancestors:
“I stand here today because my people never gave up.” I live on land that was taken from someone else, and I never gave up my rights to it.
She led with honesty, passion, and a strong sense of being Black. Her time in state parliament was short (2017–2018), but it was a turning point in Australian politics. A new generation of Indigenous women came along who didn’t fit the mould.
She became the federal Greens representative for Victoria in the Australian Senate in 2020, taking over for Richard Di Natale. Later, she became the Deputy Leader of the Greens in the Senate.
Thorpe used her national platform to talk about issues like:
- Indigenous sovereignty and talks about treaties
- Justice for Aboriginal land in terms of climate
- Keeping women safe and stopping violence against families
- The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody left behind a legacy
People started to know her for interrupting ceremonial times in parliament with things like:
“This isn’t your land.” “Sovereignty was never given up.”
Her speeches often mixed emotion with logic, forcing both sides of politics to face the uncomfortable truths about Australia’s colonial past.
Being a mother & dealing with personal problems
Thorpe’s life has been full of struggles and strength. She became a single mother at 17 after leaving an abusive relationship and raising three kids mostly by herself.
She once said in an interview:
“I was a young mother with no help, no money, and no hope.” But my kids made me want to fight, not give up.
The first few years were hard. She filed for bankruptcy in 2013 and later said it was because of financial problems caused by domestic violence. She said the experience was “humbling” and “transformative,” and it taught her how to be strong, which she now uses in politics.
Her family is still very important to who she is. She is a grandmother now, and she often says that her grandchildren are what keeps her going.
“Everything I do in that room is for them, so they can walk freely on their land and be proud of who they are.”
Love, Relationships & Public Scrutiny
The First Partner-A Private Chapter
Thorpe has never said who her first partner was in public. He is the father of her oldest children. She has been honest about how unstable her early relationships were, saying:
“When you have trauma as a child, you often end up in it again. I had to figure out what love looks like.
Even though the media is always asking about “Lidia Thorpe’s husband,” she has confirmed that she has never been married legally.
Gavan McFadzean—The Long-Term Relationship
Thorpe started dating Gavan McFadzean in the late 2010s. McFadzean is a well-known environmental activist for the Australian Conservation Foundation. They both wanted the same things for climate and Indigenous justice.
Their relationship lasted for a few years before it ended in 2022. When news broke about Thorpe’s short relationship with a former president of the Rebels motorcycle club, McFadzean reportedly found out about it through the news, which was a painful public revelation.
He wrote on Facebook at the time:
“When you find out through the news that your partner was cheating on you.”
Thorpe later denied doing anything wrong, calling the reports “misconstrued and weaponised,” but the breakup made the media pay more attention to her.
The Controversial Link Between Dean & Martin
In 2021, it came out that Thorpe had a relationship with Dean Martin, the former president of the Rebels Motorcycle Club in Victoria. This was probably the most talked-about part of her personal life.
At the time, Thorpe was a member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement, which gets secret briefings on organised crime. The news caused anger and an investigation by Parliament.
Thorpe stepped down as the Greens’ Deputy Leader in the Senate and said:
“I know I’ve made mistakes in judgement, but I’ve never shared any private information.”
Later, a Senate investigation found no evidence that she had leaked information, so she was not found in contempt. Thorpe said the whole thing was “a witch-hunt fuelled by racism and sexism.”
Later, she told the Senate:
“I was attacked by the media.” My own party’s lawyer told me to say things that weren’t true. “They used me to keep their brand safe.”
After this story, Thorpe left the Greens in early 2023 and said she was an Independent Senator for the Blak Sovereign Movement.
“I’m not here to fit in with white politics.” “I’m here to bring the truth into the room,” I said.
James Nicholson is Lidia Thorpe’s partner in spirit.
Thorpe has been dating James Nicholson since 2022. He is a 43-year-old electronics engineer and a proud Wurundjeri man from the Kulin nation. They are said to have met at a corroboree in northern Victoria.
Nicholson has called her “a warrior woman who doesn’t back down.”
Friends have said that he got more involved in movements for Indigenous rights after meeting her. He went to protests and helped her campaigns a lot.
People have taken pictures of the couple together at the Sydney Mardi Gras, where Thorpe famously wore a Wonder Woman costume and held a sign that said “Not My King—Sovereignty Never Ceded.” Nicholson walked next to her dressed as Superman in the colours of the Aboriginal flag.
They often write things like “#BlakLuv” and “my fave ❤️” in the captions of their social media posts to show their support and love for each other.
Thorpe said this in an interview:
“James is my peace.” We’ve both been through a lot of fights, and somehow we found each other in the middle of it.
Even though tabloids keep making up stories about them, the two are still together and live near the southeast coast of Melbourne.
Public Attention, Backlash & Political Bravery
Thorpe has never had an easy time in politics. She has been called names, threatened online, and physically threatened. In 2022, she said she got death threats every week and called herself “a hunted woman.”
“Every time I go into that room, I know I’m being watched. It’s not because I’m dangerous; it’s because I’m Blak and I tell the truth.”
In 2024, Thorpe made news again when she yelled “This is not your land” at King Charles III during a royal speech in Canberra. I don’t think you’re my King. The act went viral around the world, getting both praise and criticism.
Later that year, she was kicked out of the Senate for being rude after she ripped up a motion in protest. She said later:
“If standing up for my people is wrong, then I’ll wear that badge with pride.”
People who don’t like her often say she’s too confrontational, but Thorpe says her assertiveness is necessary:
“They want us to be quiet, polite, and thankful. But I’m not here to make them feel better; I’m here for justice.
Vision, Policy & Advocacy
Thorpe’s policy agenda is still the same and is based on the problems her community is facing, even though there is some disagreement about it.
Some of the things she cares about most are:
Blak Sovereignty: pushing for a treaty before a voice and saying that First Nations never gave up their sovereignty.
Truth-telling means calling for an honest national accounting of colonisation and its effects that are still felt today.
Justice Reform: pushing for the full implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations about Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Women’s Safety: stopping violence against Indigenous women and making sure that law enforcement doesn’t ignore them.
Climate and Land Protection: backing First Nations’ efforts to lead environmental management and renewable energy projects.
“We don’t need to be a part of their systems. We need to fix our own.
The Misunderstood Story of the “Husband”
The question that keeps coming up online, “Who is Lidia Thorpe’s husband?” shows how obsessed people are with women’s private lives. But Thorpe doesn’t agree with that way of thinking.
“People want to define me by who I’m with.” But my story isn’t about guys. “It’s about freedom, motherhood, and survival.”
The truth is that Lidia Thorpe has never been married in a legal sense. Her relationships, like her life, have been complicated, open, and always changing. They are just one part of a complex life story.
She is still very private about her personal life, and even though the media keeps guessing, her real legacy is her political bravery and cultural leadership.
Daily Life, Identity & Lifestyle
Thorpe lives a normal life in Victoria, even though she is famous. She spends time with her kids and grandkids and goes to community events and marches a lot.
She has talked openly about mental health issues, burnout, and the stress of always being judged:
People think I’m weak when I cry in that building. But it is strength. It’s survival.”
She loves nature and culture, so she often goes to the country to reconnect. She once said to a reporter:
“The land makes me feel better.” I remember why I keep going when I walk on Country: “The fight’s not over.”
How the public sees & talks about the media
Lidia Thorpe is one of the few politicians who can get people to disagree with her. Her supporters see her as a truth-teller, a symbol of Blak pride, and a political independent. People who don’t like her say she’s radical or disruptive.
She has said that the media coverage is “relentless” and “racialised”:
“When white men shout in parliament, they don’t call them angry.” But when I do it, it’s suddenly not professional.
She says that this double standard shows how hard it is for Indigenous women in leadership to find the right balance between being true to themselves and meeting public expectations.
Net Worth, Work & Fame
Thorpe’s exact net worth is private, but her main source of income is her job as a federal senator, which pays her about $217,000 a year as of 2025. She has said in public that she gives some of her money to programs for Indigenous people and young people.
Several Indigenous groups have named her one of Australia’s 100 Most Influential Women because of her work as an advocate.
But she says:
“Winning awards doesn’t mean anything if my people are still dying in jail.” That will make me happy when it stops.
The Legacy of Lidia Thorpe and What Lies Ahead
Lidia Thorpe has lived many lives: as an activist, a mother, a survivor, a senator, and a symbol. Society tries to put women in politics into neat little boxes, but her story doesn’t fit.
You can’t deny that she has had an effect, no matter what you think of her politics. She has changed how people talk about Indigenous sovereignty, gender, and representation in Australia.
“They tried to shut me up, but I’ll keep talking because my ancestors never did.”
People talk a lot about Lidia Thorpe’s “husband,” but the real story is that she is always true to her word and her country.
Important Things to Remember
The Blak Sovereign Movement is led by Lidia Thorpe, an Indigenous leader from Victoria.
She has never been married, but she has had partners like Gavan McFadzean, Dean Martin, and James Nicholson.
Her childhood, activism, and being a mother all made her more politically brave.
People have criticised her in public, but she is still determined to fight for Indigenous sovereignty.
She is one of the most unique political figures in Australia today because she speaks her mind and is not afraid to do so.
Final Thoughts
What Lidia Thorpe stands for, not who she loves, is what makes her life worth living. Her story makes Australia listen and think, from a teenage single mother escaping abuse to an independent senator shouting the truth in a colonial chamber.
Her journey goes on, not to find approval, but to find freedom for her people. In her own words:
“I’m not mad; I’m awake.” And I want Australia to wake up with me.
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