Australia senator suspended after burka stunt in parliament

Pauline Hanson, a far-right Australian senator, has been suspended from the Senate for seven days after wearing a burka in parliament to protest the rejection of her bill to ban the Muslim garment. The stunt, which she has repeated from 2017, sparked widespread outrage and led to her formal censure by the chamber. On Monday, November 24, 2025, Pauline Hanson, leader of the One Nation party, caused a disruption in the Australian Senate by appearing in a burka shortly after her colleagues blocked her from introducing a bill to outlaw full face coverings in public. Her actions were immediately condemned as disrespectful and racist, leading to the temporary suspension of Senate proceedings. Hanson defended her stunt as a protest against the Senate’s refusal to debate her proposed ban on burkas, a policy she has long advocated. In a Facebook post, she wrote, “If they don’t want me wearing it – ban the burka,” echoing her 2017 performance when she first wore the garment in parliament. The Senate responded decisively on Tuesday, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong moving a motion to censure Hanson for actions “intended to vilify and mock people on the basis of their religion” and for being “disrespectful to Muslim Australians.” The motion passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 55 to five, with only Hanson, her three One Nation colleagues, and United Australia senator Ralph Babet opposing it. Following the censure, Wong moved to suspend Hanson from the Senate for seven sitting days, a punishment Hanson agreed to without apology. During the debate, Mehreen Faruqi, a Muslim Greens senator, accused Hanson of perpetuating racism, stating, “This parliament drips now in racism,” and highlighting decades of hate speech from Hanson targeting Muslims, Asians, and people of color. Other senators joined the condemnation, with independent senator Fatima Payman, who is Muslim, calling the stunt “disgraceful” and accusing Hanson of disrespecting the Muslim community. Penny Wong emphasized the harm caused, sharing an anecdote about a child asking if all Christians hate Muslims, underscoring the divisive impact of such political theatrics. Hanson’s history of controversial statements adds context to the incident; in her 2016 maiden Senate speech, she warned Australia was being “swamped by Muslims,” mirroring her 1996 House of Representatives speech about being “swamped by Asians.” The censure motion also barred Hanson from representing the Senate in overseas delegations for the life of the current Parliament, a significant reprimand. This action mirrors a recent censure of Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi for protesting during a speech, showing the chamber’s willingness to enforce decorum. The incident highlights ongoing tensions in Australian politics over immigration, religion, and free speech, and while Hanson’s suspension is temporary, the debate over her actions and broader societal divisions is likely to continue.