Pauline Hanson suspended from senate after second burka stunt

Australian Community Media

Senator Pauline Hanson was suspended from the senate on November 24, 2025 after she walked in wearing a burka, repeating a stunt she pulled in 2017. The leader of the One Nation Party was denied leave to table a bill to have burkas banned in Australia.

Transcript

00:00This matter has been considered before.

00:20Dress is a matter for individual senators' conscience.

00:26And Senator Faruqi.

00:29President, a dress code might be a choice of the senators,

00:34but racism should not be the choice of the Senate.

00:38This is a racist senator displaying blatant racism in Islamophobia, President.

00:45And you, someone, someone should pull her up on that.

00:48And it is you in the chair.

00:50You should be pulling her up on that.

00:52Resume your seat.

00:54President, Senator Payman, on the same issue, I take it?

01:01What else would I be talking about, Deputy President?

01:05Because if this is about the dress code, she is disrespecting her faith.

01:10She is disrespecting the Muslims out there, Muslim Australians.

01:14It's absolutely unconstitutional.

01:17This needs to be dealt with immediately before we proceed.

01:23Senator Wish Wilson, if this is on the same matter, I'm not going to entertain anymore.

01:28Order that's different, Deputy President.

01:33Senator Hanson is using a prop in the Senate.

01:36And it's a dangerous prop.

01:38Dangerous to this country.

01:40Senator Wish Wilson.

01:40But I ask that you rule on her bringing a prop into the Senate.

01:43It is not her normal dress code, Deputy President.

01:48It is clearly a prop to make a political statement.

01:50If I was to wear a Greens t-shirt in here, or a Fremantle Dockers shirt, or whatever,

01:55I would get shown in the norm.

01:57Resume your seat.

01:59This matter has been ruled on before.

02:04Senator Thorpe.

02:05Senator Thorpe.

02:07Senator Thorpe.

02:09Resume your seat.

02:11Senator Thorpe.

02:13Resume your seat.

02:14Senator Faruqi.

02:16Resume your seat.

02:18Senator Waters.

02:19Deputy President, I would like to request that you review your earlier ruling,

02:24because clearly what has happened today is not a genuine demonstration of faith.

02:31In fact, it is the middle finger to people of faith.

02:35It is extremely racist and unsafe.

02:39And I would like you to reconsider your earlier ruling,

02:43that it is not appropriate in this Senate to draw attention to a religion

02:48that this person does not even subscribe to.

02:51It is an insult, and it must be against the standing orders.

02:55I would like you to review your earlier ruling.

02:57Senator Waters, I will absolutely reveal it,

02:59and I will also refer it to the President.

03:01I'm happy to step out of the chair for the President.

03:09Senator Wong, will you seek in the call?

03:14President, I rise to ask that you reflect the ruling of Senator Parry

03:21when in the President's chair in relation to a similar stunt

03:25by this senator in this place.

03:29And I would remind those who may not have been here

03:32of what the then leader of the government, Senator Brandis, said at the time.

03:37He says to Senator Hanson,

03:39Senator, I'm not going to pretend to ignore the stunt you have tried to pull today

03:44by arriving in the chamber dressed in a burqa

03:46when we all know you are not an adherent of the Islamic faith.

03:51I will caution and counsel you with respect

03:53to be very, very careful of the offence you may do

03:56to the religious sensibilities of other Australians.

04:01We do have many Australians in this country

04:03who are adherents of the Islamic faith.

04:06And the great majority are law-abiding Australians,

04:11good Australians, Senator Hanson.

04:13And it is absolutely consistent with being a decent Australian

04:17and being a strict and adherent Muslim.

04:21So, Senator Hanson, I would say this to you,

04:25and this is me now, not Senator Brandis,

04:28with whose remarks I concur.

04:31And it was one of the occasions in this chamber

04:34where the then-opposition back to the government of the day

04:37to stand against this sort of stunt.

04:40To stand against this sort of stunt.

04:44And what I would say to you, President,

04:47is that Senator Hanson, all of us in this place,

04:50have a great privilege in coming into this chamber.

04:53A great privilege.

04:54And we represent, in our states,

04:58people of every faith,

05:00of every faith,

05:03of all backgrounds,

05:05and we should do so decently.

05:08And what we should not do in this place,

05:10whatever views we may have on policy,

05:13is to be this disrespectful

05:15of the chamber

05:16and of people of faith.

05:18Whatever our own beliefs may be,

05:22whatever our own beliefs may be,

05:24the sort of disrespect

05:25that you are engaging in now

05:27is not worthy of a member

05:29of the Australian Senate.

05:30And it should not be allowed to stand.

05:33So I ask, Senator,

05:35ask President,

05:36that you reflect,

05:38take advice from the Clerk,

05:39and I'd refer you to the ruling

05:41of Senator Parry

05:42when he was the President

05:43in relation to precisely the same issue

05:45that we are seeing today.

05:46I am advised

05:48that this has occurred in the past

05:51and Senator Parry

05:52was the President at the time.

05:56And what he ruled

05:58was that using a religious icon

06:02or religious dress

06:03or anything to do with a religion

06:05as a prop

06:06and not in the proper way

06:08that it is expected to be used

06:10was disrespectful to the Parliament.

06:13At that time,

06:14he asked Senator Hanson

06:15to either remove

06:17the item of clothing

06:20that she's wearing

06:21or risk suspension.

06:24I intend to uphold

06:25the ruling of Senator Parry

06:27and ask Senator Hanson

06:29to remove herself

06:31from the Chamber

06:32and remove the clothing

06:34and come back

06:35dressed appropriately

06:38or risk suspension.

06:40And she certainly

06:41will not be heard

06:42if she doesn't remove herself

06:44from the Chamber.

06:46Thank you, Senators.

06:47I am advised

06:48that because we are on a point...

06:50Senator Hanson,

06:51you will not be heard.

06:53Senator Hanson,

06:54you will not be heard.

06:56Senator Hanson,

06:57you will not be heard.

06:58I've repeated the order

07:00that Senator Parry gave.

07:02and I understand.

07:05Senator Hanson,

07:07I'm going to call

07:09on the leader

07:09of the government.

07:13Yeah.

07:17I would ask

07:20that we move

07:21to the next item

07:22of business.

07:32for Aku.

07:48five minutes in the middle

07:49of the government.

07:49She's a��

07:51and I'm going to call

07:52a ride

07:52for her now.

07:54So...

07:55And...

07:58I'm going to call

07:59you to call

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