The Australian Senate erupted into disorder when Pauline Hanson, leader of the right-wing One Nation party, made an unexpected appearance in the chamber wearing a burqa.
Hanson’s dramatic entrance was part of her long-standing effort to push for legislation that would prohibit full-face coverings in Australia, a cause she has championed for many years.
Shortly after her fellow senators thwarted her attempt to introduce the bill, Hanson re-entered the room clad in a black burqa paired with a floral dress that ended just above her knees.
Her actions, at 71 years old, sparked immediate backlash from other senators, who criticized the move as ‘racist.’
Hanson is known for her controversial antics in parliament, with this latest burqa incident echoing a similar stunt she pulled in 2017.
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, who had previously taken legal action against Hanson under the Racial Discrimination Act, denounced her actions under the protection of parliamentary privilege.
‘This is a racist senator displaying blatant racism and Islamophobia, President, and someone should be pulling her up on that,’ Faruqi said.
‘It is you in the chair, you should be pulling her up on that.’
Pauline Hanson (pictured) wearing a burqa on the Senate floor on Monday afternoon
Pauline Hanson has been suspended from the Senate, after wearing a burqa in the chamber
Hanson had attempted to table a bill which would have banned burqas and full face coverings in Australia
Faruqi said the decision by the Senate to suspend Hanson was ‘the right decision’, following the vote.
Independent senator Fatima Payman, who wears a hijab, also expressed anger.
‘She is disrespecting a faith, she is disrespecting the Muslims out there, Muslim Australians. It’s absolutely unconstitutional. This needs to be dealt with immediately before we proceed.’
Foreign Minister Penny Wong joined the criticism, calling for respect and decency in the chamber.
‘I would say this to you … All of us in this place have a great privilege of coming into this chamber and we represent people of every faith, of all backgrounds, and we should do so decently. And what we should not do in this place is to be disrespectful of the chamber and of people of faiths,’ Wong said.
Following heated debate, senators voted to suspend Hanson from the Senate, ordered to return when she changed into ‘appropriate’ clothing by Senate President Sue Lines.
Hanson did not get to speak to or debate her motion.
The Senate was suspended shortly after Hanson was ordered to leave the chamber.
Shortly after the incident, Hanson took to social media, reiterating her stance to ‘ban the burqa’.
‘Today, the Senate blocked the introduction of my Bill to ban the burqa and other full face coverings in public places,’ she said.
‘Despite the ban in 24 countries across the world (including Islamic countries), the hypocrites in our parliament have rejected my Bill.’
Pauline Hanson (pictured) had attempted to table a motion calling for the burqa to be banned
Pauline Hanson (pictured) said she would continue in her efforts to ‘ban the burqa’
Pauline Hanson (pictured) was condemned by the Greens, Labor and Opposition for the stunt
Hanson said she would continue to wear the burqa, until it was banned.
‘So if the parliament won’t ban it, I will display this oppressive, radical, non-religious head garb that risk 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,’ Hanson said.
Speaking to reporters after the suspension, Greens leader Larissa Waters said Hanson’s behaviour was an ‘abomination’.
‘Senator Hanson’s stunt today doesn’t make anybody’s rent cheaper, doesn’t make anybody’s grocery bills cheaper, doesn’t make anybody’s life materially better,’ Waters said.
‘All it does is make people of colour feel less safe in this country and that is an abomination and it is right that she is suspended’.
Hanson previously did a similar stunt in 2017, which was rebuked by then Attorney-General George Brandis, who denounced Hanson’s actions.
‘To ridicule someone’s religious garments is appalling. We are a tolerant society, and we should respect people’s faith,’ Brandis said at the time.
