King Charles is set to visit Redfern on Tuesday, a significant location in Australia’s urban Aboriginal civil rights movement, following a heated encounter with Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe at Parliament House. The senator interrupted the King’s speech, asserting that she does not recognize his sovereignty over Australia and called for a treaty for Indigenous people.
This trip marks Charles’s first major international visit after his cancer diagnosis. In his address, he touched upon Australia’s challenging journey toward reconciliation, referencing the previous national referendum that aimed to amend the constitution to acknowledge Aboriginal people but was ultimately rejected last year, a disappointment for many in the Indigenous community.
During his visit to Redfern, which was the birthplace of the Aboriginal rights movement in the 1970s, the King will engage with Indigenous Elders at the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence. He is expected to meet with local organizations and discuss traditional Aboriginal cuisine with chef Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo.
Additionally, he plans to tour a sustainable social housing project developed with the aid of his King’s Trust Australia charity, accompanied by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has personal connections to public housing.
Julie Bishop, the chair of King’s Trust Australia, noted that the charity aligns with the King’s interests, focusing on youth employment, supporting veterans, and promoting sustainable community initiatives.
The royal couple, including Queen Camilla, is in Australia for a six-day tour that will include stops in Sydney and Canberra before heading to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. Later in the day, the public will have a chance to meet them at the Sydney Opera House.