Australia’s Parliament was thrown into chaos on Monday when right-wing populist Senator Pauline Hanson entered the chamber wearing a burqa, sparking outrage among Muslim lawmakers and prompting a temporary suspension of proceedings.

Hanson appeared in the full-face veil shortly after her proposal to introduce a bill banning burqas and other face coverings in public was rejected. Her entrance immediately sparked an uproar, with senators across the chamber demanding she remove the garment. When Hanson refused, Senate leaders paused the session.

Politicians from both major parties quickly condemned Hanson’s actions. Labor Senate leader and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, speaking to Reuters, criticized the display as “unworthy of a member of the Australian Senate” and moved to suspend Hanson after she defied orders to take off the covering. Opposition Deputy Senate Leader Anne Ruston also voiced disapproval of the stunt.

Two Muslim senators were particularly vocal in their criticism. Green Party Senator Mehreen Faruqi labeled the act as “blatant racism,” while Independent Senator Fatima Payman called it “disgraceful” and a “shame.”

This incident marks the second time Hanson has worn a burqa in Parliament. The 71-year-old senator first donned the garment in 2017, as part of her longstanding opposition to Islamic dress. Hanson has long campaigned against immigration from Asia and criticized Australia’s multicultural policies, stances that played a significant role in her political rise during the 1990s.

The incident marked the second time Hanson has worn a burqa inside Parliament. The 71-year-old senator first did so in 2017 as part of her longtime campaign against Islamic dress. Hanson has spent decades opposing immigration from Asia and criticizing Australia’s multicultural policies, positions that helped launch her political career in the 1990s.

Her One Nation party currently holds four seats in the senate after gaining two in May’s national election, reflecting a rise in anti-immigration sentiment, according to Reuters.

One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson wears a burqa in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas via Reuters.)

Following the uproar, Hanson released a statement on her verified Facebook page. She wrote: “Today I wore a burqa into the Senate after One Nation’s bill to ban the burqa and face coverings in public was blocked from even being introduced. The usual hypocrites had an absolute freak out. The fact is more than 20 countries around the world have banned the burqa because they recognize it as a tool that oppresses women, poses a national security risk, encourages radical Islam and threatens social cohesion. If these hypocrites don’t want me to wear a burqa, they can always support my ban.”

Her statement continued, “So if Parliament won’t ban it, I will display this oppressive, radical, nonreligious head garb that risks our national security and the ill treatment of women on the floor of our Parliament so that every Australian knows what’s at stake. If they don’t want me wearing it, ban the burqa.”

France and 21 other countries, including Tunisia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Portugal, have already implemented burqa bans.

Senator Pauline Hanson removes a burqa she wore during question time in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Hanson repeated her protest for a second time on Monday, Nov 24, 2025. (Jed Cooper/Australian Broadcasting Corp. via AP)

Hanson left Parliament after losing her seat in 1998 and resigned as leader of One Nation in 2002. She was jailed in 2003 on electoral fraud charges, though the conviction was later overturned. 

In 2010, she dropped plans to move to the United Kingdom, saying it was “overrun with immigrants and refugees.” She returned to lead One Nation in 2014 and won election to the Senate in 2016. She used her first speech to warn that “Australia was in danger of being swamped by Muslims.”