November 27th 2024.
Senator Fatima Payman made a bold accusation against Pauline Hanson, accusing her of being racist. However, she was later forced to withdraw her remark due to questions being raised about her eligibility to sit in parliament by the One Nation leader. The situation took a heated turn this morning when Hanson attempted to table her correspondence with the president of the Senate regarding Payman's dual citizenship and her ability to hold a seat in parliament.
In response, Hanson announced that she would be moving a motion this afternoon to vote on whether the matter should be investigated by the standing committee of senators' interests. She made her intentions clear, stating that she would not back down on this issue and would continue to push for it to be addressed. Payman, on the other hand, labeled Hanson as racist but was quickly forced to withdraw her statement. She then proceeded to quote several of Hanson's past remarks, including one made during her maiden speech where she infamously stated, "We are in danger of being swamped by Asians."
Payman expressed her outrage, slamming her hand down and asking, "If that is not racism, then what is it?" She went on to say that Hanson's actions were not only vindictive and mean, but also brought shame to the human race. Despite giving her the benefit of the doubt in the past, Payman could no longer ignore Hanson's repeated attempts to make racist remarks towards anyone who did not fit her narrow definition of what it means to "look like" an Australian.
As tensions rose in the Senate, Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe yelled out, "You are a convicted racist!" towards Hanson. Shortly after, Thorpe appeared to throw papers in Hanson's direction and then stormed out of the Senate, flipping off her colleagues as she left. The Greens, along with Payman, voted against the document being tabled, while Labor and the opposition voted in favor of it. Both sides clarified that their decision was based on procedural reasons and not because they supported the content of the document. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher also expressed her disappointment, stating that the "30-minute destructive debate" could have been avoided.
But what sparked this debate in the first place? It all started when Hanson raised concerns about Payman's dual citizenship. Payman was born in Afghanistan but moved to Australia at the age of eight in 2003 and gained Australian citizenship. She was elected to the Senate representing Labor in Western Australia in 2022 but resigned dramatically in July. She has since launched her own political party, Australia's Voice. Citing section 44 of the Constitution, which states that foreign citizens and dual citizens cannot hold a seat in parliament, Hanson has been questioning Payman's eligibility.
Payman has made efforts to renounce her citizenship with Afghanistan, but her request has not been granted by the Taliban-controlled government. In today's Senate session, Payman suggested that Hanson reach out to the Taliban personally to resolve the matter. She stated, "Senator Hanson has even worn a burqa in this place. Maybe it's time for her to pack her burqa and go to Afghanistan to talk to the Taliban about this." Payman was referring to Hanson's controversial stunt in 2017 when she arrived in the Senate wearing a black burqa.
The confrontation in the Senate today took place just days after Thorpe and Greens Deputy Leader Mehreen Faruqi presented a motion to investigate racism in parliament. They are calling for the standing committee on procedures to hold an inquiry and submit a report by March 31, 2025. Thorpe emphasized the urgency of the issue, stating, "It's simply not safe if you are a woman of color." Faruqi also shared her thoughts, saying, "In here, it is easy to fling around racism and racist commentary, but when you dare call out racism and the double standards used in this place, you are shut down, you are silenced, and you are gaslighted." It is worth noting that Faruqi recently won a Federal Court lawsuit against Hanson over a post on social media where she told Faruqi to "piss off back to Pakistan."
The motion put forward by Thorpe and Faruqi will require the support of their colleagues when it comes to a vote. It is clear that the issue of racism in parliament needs to be addressed and cannot be swept under the rug. The events that unfolded in the Senate today are a reminder that there is still a lot of work to be done to create an inclusive and respectful environment for all members of parliament, regardless of their race or background.
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