Senate Censures Hanson in Overwhelming Vote
In a decisive move, the Australian Senate has suspended One Nation leader Pauline Hanson for seven days following her controversial decision to wear a burqa in the chamber on Tuesday. The suspension came after an overwhelming majority of senators voted to censure Hanson for her actions, which were widely condemned as an attempt to mock and vilify individuals based on their religion.
Widespread Condemnation and Refusal to Apologise
The censure motion passed with 55 votes to five, with only Hanson, her three fellow One Nation senators, and United Australia senator Ralph Babet opposing the measure. The motion explicitly stated that Hanson's actions were 'intended to vilify and mock people on the basis of their religion' and were 'disrespectful to Muslim Australians'.
Government leader Penny Wong moved the motion as the first piece of business in the Senate, describing how Hanson 'has been parading prejudice as protest for decades'. During an emotional debate, Wong recounted a story of a seven-year-old girl asking her mother, 'Mummy, do all Christians hate Muslims?' following the incident.
Despite the motion calling on Hanson to 'immediately make an explanation or apology' for her actions, the One Nation leader refused. Instead, she used a five-minute address to defend her actions, after which Wong moved that Hanson be suspended from the chamber for seven days - a punishment Hanson agreed to accept.
Parliament 'Drips in Racism' Says Greens Senator
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi spoke powerfully before the vote, stating that 'This parliament drips in racism'. She continued: 'Finally, after three decades of piling on hate and racism, on Muslims, on Asians, on people of colour, finally, at least some of us in this chamber want to hold Senator Hanson to account.'
The censure motion also highlighted Hanson's disrespect for the Senate President's authority, noting her refusal to remove the burqa when directed to do so. This forced the temporary shutdown of the Senate on Monday afternoon and resulted in Hanson's initial suspension from parliament for the remainder of that day.
As part of the punishment, the Senate declared it inappropriate for Hanson to represent the Senate as a member of any overseas delegation during the life of the current Parliament. This mirrors a similar censure motion passed against Senator Faruqi in July, after she held up a sign reading 'sanction Israel' during the governor general's speech to open parliament.
During the debate, United Australia senator Ralph Babet was heard to call out 'I do' during Wong's story about the young girl's question. Babet later confirmed to Guardian Australia that he had said: 'I do, I hate radical Islam', adding that 'Radical Islam has no place in Australia'.
