Australia’s Senate erupted in chaos after One Nation Sen. Pauline Hanson entered the chamber wearing a full burqa, reigniting debate over her long-running Burqa Ban campaign. Hanson appeared in the face-covering shortly after being denied permission to introduce her bill, prompting immediate shouting as senators demanded she remove it. The Burqa Ban controversy quickly halted proceedings.
Hanson refused to comply, triggering condemnation from leaders of both major parties. Labor Senate leader Penny Wong called the stunt “not worthy of a member of the Australian Senate” and moved to suspend her after she declined to remove the covering. Opposition Deputy Senate Leader Anne Ruston also criticized the act. Two Muslim senators sharply rejected the display. Green Sen. Mehreen Faruqi stated, “This is a racist senator, displaying blatant racism.” Independent Sen. Fatima Payman labeled the act “disgraceful” and “shame.”
Hanson defended her decision in a statement posted to her verified Facebook page. She wrote, “Today I wore a burqa into the Senate after One Nation’s bill to ban the burqa and face coverings in public was blocked from even being introduced. The usual hypocrites had an absolute freak out.” She argued that “more than 20 countries around the world have banned the burqa because they recognize it as a tool that oppresses women, poses a national security risk, encourages radical Islam and threatens social cohesion.”
Her statement continued: “So if Parliament won’t ban it, I will display this oppressive, radical, nonreligious 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. If they don’t want me wearing it, ban the burqa.”
Hanson’s One Nation party holds four Senate seats after gains in May’s national election. Her renewed push follows decades of advocacy against Islamic dress and broader opposition to Australia’s multicultural policies.
