By political reporter Maani Truu, ABC
Pauline Hanson leaves the Senate, wearing a burka, after proceedings were suspended. Photo: ABC News / Callum Flinn
The Australian Senate was suspended for more than one and a half hours after One Nation's Pauline Hanson strode into the chamber wearing a burka, frustrating and then stalling debate in the final sitting week of the year.
Senator Hanson, who is calling for burkas and face coverings to be banned across the country, was subsequently slapped with a sanction preventing her from entering the chamber for the rest of the day.
When she refused to leave the Senate floor, there was a heated exchange and President Sue Lines resorted to the rare move of suspending the chamber's proceedings for more than 1.5 hours.
Senator Hanson was among the last politicians to leave the Senate on Monday afternoon, and on social media labelled her Senate colleagues as "hypocrites" for preventing her from introducing her bill.
The stunt led to the Senate being shut down for more than 1.5 hours. Photo: ABC News / Callum Flinn
"If the parliament won't ban it, I will display this oppressive, radical, non-religious head garb that risks our national security and the ill treatment of women on the floor of our parliament so that every Australian knows what's at stake," she wrote.
Proceedings resumed at about 5:50pm without Senator Hanson in attendance.
The last time the chamber was shut down due to the behaviour of a senator was in February last year.
Payman labels stunt 'disrespectful'
Independent senator Fatima Payman, who is the first woman to wear a hijab in parliament, described the One Nation leader's antics as "abhorrent and disrespectful to the chamber and the public".
"For her to wear the burka, walk in, and just not listen to the procedures or the ruling that was given before her is typical of her trying to stay relevant," she told ABC Radio.
"The fact that this is the last week of sitting for 2025 and the Senate is suspended ... where are the priorities of the government and Pauline Hanson?"
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce - who has left the door open to joining Senator Hanson's One Nation party - said people were allowed to "make any political statement they wish, as long as it's not violent".
Before Senator Hanson's stunt, Islamophobia envoy Aftab Malik said the senator's attempts to ban the burka and the link it to national security concerns was "frustrating".
"This will deepen existing safety risks for Australian Muslim women who choose to wear the headscarf, the hijab, or the full face and body covering, the burka," he said in a statement.
"They already face harassment, threats of rape, and violence, not because what they have done, but because of what they wear.
"All women should be free to choose what they wear or do not wear."
It was the second time Senator Hanson had donned the burka in parliament.
In 2017, amid a similar One Nation push to ban the head covering, she wore a similar if not identical item of clothing on the Senate floor.
- ABC
