National

Last-minute bid to stop Indigenous referendum fails

By AAP Newswire

Oct 13, 2023

Robbie Thorpe (file image) — Robbie Thorpe has previously sought to charge the Commonwealth with genocide. -AAP Image

An Indigenous activist's High Court bid to stop the voice referendum from going ahead has failed.

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Robbie Thorpe, the uncle of independent senator Lidia Thorpe, sought to argue Saturday's vote was "an attack on Aboriginal sovereignty".

Mr Thorpe said in a statement on Friday the denial of sovereignty was causing serious mental harm.

However, Chief Justice Susan Kiefel made a direction under High Court rules which meant Mr Thorpe's writ was not accepted for filing.

The rule states "if a writ, application, summons, affidavit or other document appears to a registrar on its face to be an abuse of the process of the court, to be frivolous or vexatious or to fall outside the jurisdiction of the court, the registrar may seek the direction of a justice".

The justice may then direct the registrar to issue or file the document, or to refuse to issue or file the document.

Mr Thorpe has previously sought to charge the Commonwealth with genocide.

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