Australian Senator Pauline Hanson has been suspended from parliament for one week after wearing a burka in the Senate chamber as part of a protest against lawmakers blocking her proposed ban on full face coverings. Hanson, from the One Nation party, wore the garment shortly after colleagues refused to let her introduce the bill, which seeks to outlaw full face coverings in public.
The move drew immediate condemnation from senators across the political spectrum. Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, who last year won a Federal Court case finding she had been racially discriminated against by Hanson, described the act as “blatant racism.” Independent Senator Fatima Payman called the stunt “disgraceful.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong introduced a motion to censure Hanson, arguing that she had long used prejudice as a form of protest. The motion passed 55–5, stating Hanson’s behaviour was intended to mock and vilify people based on their religion and was disrespectful to Muslim Australians.
Hanson defended her actions online, writing, “If they don’t want me wearing it – ban the burka.” She previously wore a burka in parliament in 2017 while pushing for a similar national ban. Hanson has a long history of controversial remarks, including claims in past speeches that Australia risked being “swamped” by various minority groups.
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