Pauline Hanson has gained an unexpected supporter in Fatima Payman, who previously branded the One Nation leader a “disgrace to the human race”, as her latest clash with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese intensifies.
Hanson, Payman and crossbench MP Dai Le have united in calling for parliamentary staffing rules to be overhauled, claiming the existing arrangements give Labor an advantage.
The alliance represents a dramatic shift for Payman and Hanson, who have repeatedly traded public attacks in recent years.
Their most prominent confrontation came in late 2024, when Hanson challenged Payman’s eligibility to remain in Parliament, citing her birth in Afghanistan and former Afghan citizenship.
The dispute erupted in the Senate, where Payman hit back by describing Hanson as a “disgrace to the human race”.
On Thursday, however, the two politicians presented a united front in Canberra, joining Dai Le to argue that parliamentary staff allocations are inconsistent and unfair.
“We have different views on almost everything, but what we have in common is that we’re all women,” Payman said.
Payman also turned her criticism towards Albanese, accusing the Prime Minister of promoting his support for women while responding differently to women who oppose or scrutinise him.
Fatima Payman (left) has joined forces with Pauline Hanson (centre) and Dai Le (right)
She argued that Albanese’s public message on gender equality does not match the way he treats female political opponents and critics.
Payman referred to the Prime Minister’s comments describing former Australian of the Year Grace Tame as “difficult”, remarks involving Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and his podcast joke about wanting to “shag” pop star Kylie Minogue.
“Australia has heard the Prime Minister’s recent comments about melons, Grace Tame and Kylie Minogue,” Payman said.
“He points to his female-majority caucus and highlights his government’s record on women’s rights. But are those rights only available to women who agree with him?”
The argument centres on a key parliamentary benefit: access to personal advisers.
All federal MPs and senators receive electorate staff to support their local offices, but the Prime Minister has the final say over how many extra advisers are assigned throughout Parliament.
These advisers handle everything from policy development and legislative research to media management and political strategy.
Labor’s 124 MPs are supported by more than 500 advisers and ministerial staff, while the Coalition’s 68 parliamentarians have access to 96 additional support staff.
Fatima Payman accused Anthony Albanese (pictured) of punishing her for quitting Labor
The Greens, with one lower-house MP and 10 senators, have been allocated 17 extra staff. By comparison, One Nation’s six-member parliamentary team receives five.
Payman argued the system gives the government enormous power over its political opponents.
Figures released earlier this year showed Payman is the only independent parliamentarian without a single additional adviser.
After quitting Labor over disagreements about the government’s position on the Israel-Gaza conflict, Payman says she believes she has been deliberately sidelined.
‘I know the Prime Minister wants to punish me, but he should not be allowed to play favourites,’ she said.
‘There should be an independent process for determining parliamentary resourcing, not the whim of a petty man.
‘We don’t have to agree with each other, but we can come together, join forces, and say we demand better from this government.’
For Hanson, the campaign revives a long-running concern.
The One Nation leader has repeatedly argued that her party’s staffing allocation no longer reflects its growing parliamentary presence.
In an August letter to Albanese, she requested a significant increase in adviser numbers, arguing One Nation is being treated less favourably than the Greens despite meeting the threshold for a recognised minority party.
‘Commonwealth law uses five members as the threshold for a recognised non-government minority party,’ she said.
‘The Australian Greens meet that threshold and you have allocated their adviser staffing on that basis. One Nation now meets this threshold.’
The 2024 feud between Hanson and Payman was one of the most dramatic and widely reported Senate exchanges during that parliamentary session.
Hanson had attempted to table documents relating to Payman’s citizenship in the Senate, to which the independent senator responded with a fiery speech.
Payman accused Hanson of racism and said she had spent years ‘spread[ing] hatred’ and ‘division’, adding that the One Nation leader was ‘vindictive, mean, nasty’.
