Lidia Thorpe erupts at CEO who wants to stop Welcome to Countries and displaying three flags – as she tells him to ‘pay the rent’… and then brands entire state racist
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe clashed angrily with a company chief executive during an inquiry hearing after he suggested scrapping Welcome to Country ceremonies and the practice of flying three flags (the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags) at official events. Thorpe, a prominent Aboriginal rights advocate, responded furiously, telling the CEO to "pay the rent" before going on to accuse the entire state of being racist. The exchange highlights the ongoing and often heated debate in Australia over Indigenous recognition symbols and how they are received by parts of the business and political community.
The confrontation took place during a public inquiry session, where the CEO argued for ending the Welcome to Country custom and the three-flag display, prompting Thorpe's forceful rebuke. Her comments, including the "pay the rent" remark—a reference to a movement calling for reparative payments to Indigenous Australians—and her broader accusation of racism against the state, underscore the deep divisions surrounding reconciliation gestures in Australian public life.
- Lidia Thorpe clashed with a CEO over Indigenous recognition practices
- CEO wanted to end Welcome to Country and three-flag displays
- Thorpe told him to "pay the rent" and called the state racist
New here? Start with this
Welcome to Country is a ceremony led by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person with traditional ties to the land, welcoming visitors. Flying the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags is another way institutions recognise the country’s Indigenous peoples.
Lidia Thorpe is an independent senator and Aboriginal rights advocate. “Pay the rent” refers to a campaign calling for payments to Indigenous Australians as recognition of dispossession and its effects.
These customs sit within wider debates in Australia about Indigenous recognition, reconciliation and the country’s history. Views differ over whether public gestures such as ceremonies and flags are meaningful recognition or should be changed.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Some argue that whilst Welcome to Country ceremonies and three-flag displays are well-intentioned, they risk becoming performative gestures that obscure rather than address substantive challenges facing Indigenous Australians. These individuals contend that finite resources directed toward symbolic recognition would deliver greater material benefit if reallocated to healthcare, education and housing outcomes, and that mandatory corporate or government ceremonies may lose cultural meaning through repetition without accompanying practical change.
The case against
Others maintain that Welcome to Country ceremonies and the three-flag display represent essential symbolic recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' deep connection to the land and their rightful place in Australian society. Proponents argue these symbols embody genuine reconciliation steps, acknowledge historical wrongs and provide cultural visibility that validates Indigenous identity; removing them would signal diminishment of Indigenous recognition, particularly if not paired with material reparations, which remains a central concern underlying the debate.