Senator Fatima Payman subjected to racism in Australian Senate

Afghan-origin Payman accused fellow senator of targeting her based on her background

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A fierce confrontation erupted in Australia’s Senate on Wednesday after One Nation leader Pauline Hanson accused senator Fatima Payman of breaching section 44 of the Australian Constitution, which forbids politicians from holding dual citizenship.

The row escalated when Payman, who was born in Afghanistan, became the target of Hanson’s citizenship challenge.

Hanson claimed that Payman had not provided sufficient evidence she had revoked her Afghan citizenship, despite Payman’s assertion that she had attempted to do so in 2021. Payman’s renunciation request was reportedly stalled due to the Taliban’s return to power.

During the session, Payman accused Hanson of racism, and a tense exchange followed. Payman later withdrew her comments about Hanson but stood firm on her claim that Hanson’s actions were racially motivated. “I kept on giving you the benefit of the doubt, Senator Hanson, despite your repetitive attempts to be racist,” Payman remarked.

In an attempt to have Payman’s eligibility investigated, Hanson tabled documents, but Senate President Sue Lines rejected her motion, stating that it failed to meet the requirements for referral. The motion to investigate Payman’s citizenship was later defeated in a 35-3 vote.

As the debate heated up, crossbench senator Lidia Thorpe, who has had a tense relationship with Hanson, was seen throwing papers at the One Nation leader and flipping her middle finger as she stormed out of the chamber. The altercation was described as “physically threatening” by the Senate president, who expressed disappointment in the senators’ behaviour.

Lidia Thorpe gestures as she walks away after throwing papers at Pauline Hanson. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

“I am incredibly disappointed in the behaviour,” said Sue Lines, adding that physically threatening behaviour would not be tolerated in the Senate. “We must do better,” she urged. Lines also reported the incident to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service.

One Nation’s headquarters later issued a statement accusing Thorpe of “physically assaulting” Hanson during the altercation, but Thorpe’s office has not yet responded to these claims.

The citizenship dispute stems from the constitutional eligibility crisis of 2017-2018, during which several Australian MPs were forced to resign after being found in breach of section 44 due to dual citizenship. Hanson has expressed frustration that Payman, who has been a senator since 2022, has not faced similar scrutiny.

“We cannot wish this matter away,” Hanson said in a statement following the vote. “There’s a surprising lack of documents supporting Payman’s claim she took reasonable steps to renounce her Afghan citizenship.”

Payman, for her part, reiterated that she had taken all the necessary steps to renounce her citizenship and was only waiting for the formalities to be completed. She added, “Maybe it’s time [Hanson] pack her burqa and go to Afghanistan and talk to the Taliban about this.”

However, this is not the first time Fatima Payman was subjected to racism. Earlier this year, she said that prime minister's decision to indefinitely suspend her from the party’s caucus had left her in "exile.”

Payman, who faced suspension after supporting a motion in parliament to recognize a Palestinian state, said she had lost all contact with her caucus colleagues, SBS News reported.

She said she was excluded from caucus meetings, committees, internal caucus chats and whip bulletins. She has been instructed to avoid all parliamentary duties requiring a vote, including divisions, motions and matters of public interest.

Payman said she believed some members were trying to intimidate her into resigning from the Senate. She said she decided to abstain from voting in the Senate for the rest of the week unless a "matter of conscience" arose.