Australian far-right senator Pauline Hanson sparked controversy on Monday by wearing a burqa to Parliament. The stunt was part of her ongoing campaign to ban the Muslim garment in public. Muslim senators accused her of racism over the act.
Hanson, a Queensland Australian senator, attempted to introduce a bill that would outlaw burqas and other full-face coverings in public. After being denied permission, she wore the garment in the Senate chamber. This was the second time Hanson used a burqa in Parliament to push for a ban.
The Senate erupted as Hanson walked in wearing the burqa. Proceedings were suspended after she refused to remove it. Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi called the move “blatant racism.” Independent Senator Fatima Payman described it as “disgraceful.”
Leaders from both government and opposition also condemned the act. Labour Senate leader Penny Wong said Hanson’s behavior was “not worthy of a member of the Australian Senate” and moved a motion to suspend her. Deputy Senate leader Anne Ruston criticized the stunt as inappropriate and disruptive.
Hanson first rose to prominence in the 1990s for her opposition to immigration from Asia and asylum seekers. Over the years, she has frequently targeted Islamic clothing in her political campaigns. In 2017, she also wore a burqa in Parliament while calling for a national ban.
Her One Nation party holds four Senate seats, having gained two in May’s general election amid rising support for far-right anti-immigration policies. Hanson stated on Facebook that wearing the burqa was a protest against the rejection of her bill.
“So if the Parliament won’t ban it, I will display this oppressive, radical, non-religious head garb… so every Australian knows what’s at stake,” Hanson wrote. She added that if others oppose her wearing it, the burqa should be banned instead.
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The incident has reignited debates on religious freedom, gender rights, and the role of political stunts in Australia’s Parliament, drawing both national and international attention.
