SRINAGAR: One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has been barred from parliament for seven days after refusing to apologise for wearing a burqa in the Senate, following the failure of her bill seeking to ban Islamic face coverings in public places, ABC News reported.
Hanson entered the upper house on Monday wearing the religious garment and was formally censured on Tuesday. When she refused to apologise, she was suspended, with the current sitting week marking the final parliamentary sitting of the year.
Defending her actions, Hanson said the burqa was imposed on women by male relatives rather than being a religious requirement. “It’s so hypocritical… you’re supposed to be defending women’s rights, but you’re not fighting for women who wear this burqa against their will,” she said as reported by Reuters. She left the chamber before a vote on her suspension could be held.
The stunt prompted widespread condemnation. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it mocked an entire faith and caused “cruel consequences” for vulnerable people, revealing her child had asked if all Christians hated Muslims. United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet responded by calling out, “I do.”
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie urged respectful debate, while Independent senator Fatima Payman warned the move could endanger schoolgirls and women wearing hijabs. Cabinet minister Tanya Plibersek linked the incident to rising right-wing extremism.
This is Hanson’s second burqa stunt in parliament, the first occurring in 2017. Former attorney-general George Brandis described the latest incident as “despicable” and “ugly and divisive politics,” while political strategist Kos Samaras said it highlighted how right-wing populists exploit protest.
Censure motions carry no legal consequences but allow parliamentarians to formally express disapproval of colleagues.
