Pauline Hanson, a 71-year-old far-right Australian senator, faced condemnation from lawmakers for wearing a burqa in her campaign to ban Muslim clothing in public and was suspended for seven sitting days.
On Monday, Hanson was covered in black from head to ankles as the Senate refused to consider her bill to ban the burqa in public places.
Without apology, senators passed a no-confidence motion barring her from seven consecutive days of Senate sitting. It is said to be one of the harshest punishments against a senator in the last decade. Its suspension will continue when parliament resumes in February next year.
Also in 2017, the senator sparked outrage after donning a burqa for a similar protest. However, she was not punished then.
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Pauline Hanson reacts
Speaking to reporters, Hanson said voters will judge her in the next election in 2028.
“They didn’t want to ban the burqa, yet they denied me the right to wear it on the floor of parliament. There is no dress code on the floor of parliament, yet I’m not allowed to wear it. So for me it was hypocritical,” she said.
“Liberals, Nationals, Labor and the Greens are all fighting against One Nation because we are the only party that debates issues that won’t be talked about. One Nation was prevented from even introducing a bill, meaning parliament couldn’t debate. That’s not democracy. The people will judge me when I face the next election. My future is in the hands of the people, not these reckless politicians,” Hanson said in a post about X.
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The senators attacked Pauline
Malaysian-born Penny Wong, who leads the government in the Senate, said Hanson mocked and denigrated the entire faith by wearing the burqa.
“Senator Hanson’s hateful and shallow flamboyance is tearing at our social fabric and I believe it is weakening Australia and has dire consequences for many of our most vulnerable, including our schoolyards,” Wong told the Senate.
Afghan-born Fatima Payman told Hanson that her use of the burqa was “disgraceful” and “disgraceful,” the AP reported.
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Who is Pauline Hanson?
Pauline Hanson was born in Brisbane.
She is a mother of four and was a small business owner between 1978 and 1997 before entering parliament. According to her page on the Australian Government website, she is divorced.
She is currently the leader of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party.
Career
— Between 1994 and 1995 she served as a councilor on Ipswich City Council.
— In 1996 she was elected to the House of Representatives for Oxley, Queensland.
—In 1998, however, she was defeated in the general election.
— In 2016, she was elected to the Senate for Queensland.
— She was elected to the Senate in 2022.
— From August 2022, he is also in the Senate Standing Committee for the Selection of Laws.
According to an AP report, a judge ruled last year that Hanson violated the Racial Discrimination Act by telling Pakistani-born Mehreen Faruqi to return to her homeland in a social media post.
Hanson will appeal that ruling.
Pauline Hanson
