Australian Senator Pauline Hanson says she has been suspended from Parliament for seven sitting days after attempting to raise what she called the concerns of her constituents on the Senate floor. In a post on X, Hanson claimed the major parties — Liberals, Nationals, Labor and the Greens — united to block One Nation from even introducing a Bill, preventing any debate. She described the decision as undemocratic and accused her opponents of avoiding issues that One Nation is willing to address. Hanson said she will ultimately be judged by voters at the next election, declaring her future is “in the people’s hands, not these gutless politicians.” Her suspension has sparked fresh political tension and renewed debate about parliamentary conduct, free expression, and procedural fairness.
00:00Well, all right. I think you know what happened in the Senate. I just went open
00:08with a comment. It was just, what can I say, I didn't know it was going to happen.
00:16It was only about two minutes beforehand. I didn't even have a time to read it
00:21and this is not unusual what happens in the Senate, what they actually do. I was
00:28a bit upset that I wasn't given the time to respond properly to it. I was denied
00:35that right yesterday on the floor of Parliament to actually speak to it. Again,
00:40today I felt that. Senator Wong made sure it was only 30 minutes. I wasn't aware of
00:48that. That's why I let other people get up to have their say. Then I could have
00:52counteracted that but they cut it off. Gallagher got up and cut it off and this is
00:56what happens to me all the time. Five minutes was not long enough for me to
01:02respond to it. But anyway, I tried to explain to the Australian people how I
01:10feel about it and why I've stood my ground with regards to this. And that's what I'm
01:15saying now. It's about the Australian people. I have the utmost respect for the
01:21heart of our democracy, which is that Parliament. I do respect the Australian
01:25people. I have the utmost respect for people that have come here for a new way
01:28of life. But those people that actually come and pull me up and they say, Pauline,
01:33we're a migrant that have come here. Please stand, you know, strong and tall what you
01:39believe in because we love Australia and we don't want it to become like the place
01:43we've left. So I do have a lot of migrants that do support me. My position on
01:50banning the burqa and I still stand strong by that. If they really believed in what
01:56they were saying, they didn't want to ban the burqa yet they denied me the right to
02:00wear it on the floor of Parliament. There is no dress code on the floor of
02:03Parliament yet I'm not allowed to wear it. So to me it's been hypocritical. I'm not
02:14going to answer to the Parliament or the members in there because they tell you the
02:18truth. I don't have respect for most of them. I think they say one thing and do
02:24another. That was the heart of democracy to allow me to move my private member's
02:29bill to debate the issue then put it to the vote. They have denied me that right,
02:34not on this one occasion but previously as well. And I think that needs to be
02:40questioned also. I'm censured. Does it really worry me? No, it doesn't. For seven
02:54days? Not at all. I'll stand my ground and what I believe in. I will continue to do so.
03:00And, you know, it will be the people that will judge me. I will be standing for the
03:09next election in Queensland and I will let the people of Queensland judge me
03:15whether I have earned my place to be re-elected again or not. I will not let
03:21this happen. These people here judge me. Senator Hanson, can you just explain what
03:26the point of the law has done to you? You've worn the burglary there twice now over a
03:30course of eight years. You've been kicked out for seven days. Your bill's not even going
03:34to be debated at this point. So, what's the point? What have you achieved by doing this?
03:39It was never, they were never intending to debate the bill and the first time I wore it
03:45was about, there was no dress code in the chamber and what I wanted to do was set a, you know, a
03:50precedent there that let's decide on it. They threw it out. They wouldn't even vote on it.
03:55They did nothing about it. They threw it out. If they had done that seven years ago
04:00I would never have been able to wear the burka. When I introduced my bill yesterday
04:05straight away without even getting through introduction of the bill, they shut it down.
04:09One voice. That's all it takes. There was two. Tammy Tyrrell from Tasmania denied me that right
04:15and so did the Greens. So without even allowing me to introduce the bill, they denied me that right.
04:22Why? If you think that the Australian people are on their side, debate the bill, let it go to the vote.
04:30And then the decision's made. But they denied me that right. And when they denied me that right
04:36to ban the burka, well if you don't want to ban the burka, then I'll go and put it on.
04:41And that's exactly what I did. And that even upset them all.
04:46You don't want to ban it, but you don't want to be wearing it.
04:50I can understand why you're putting this on the agenda. Are you aware of any incident in Australia?
04:55It's not about incidents. You know, it's not about incidents. It's the same thing as what I put up about
05:00climate change or I put up about immigration policies and I've spoken against multiculturalism.
05:05It's having a vision for the future, where the country's headed. These buggers in here have no idea about that whatsoever.
05:14So what it's about is having a vision and seeing what's going to happen in the future.
05:18That's why I've spoken about multiculturalism. And now, I was ridiculed for it at the time.
05:24Now, you have, even John Howard has come out and said it hasn't worked. Other leaders of other nations said it hasn't worked.
05:32We are multiracial, people from all different cultural backgrounds, but we must be Australians all treated equally under one law.
05:41That's why I have brought this about with many things in climate change. I've been the one who opposed even COVID-19.
05:48You know, I've opposed the voice based on it wasn't equal rights for all Australians.
05:54Senator, why now? Senator, why now? You've done this seven years ago. Why are you doing it now?
05:59You didn't listen to my explanation. I'm sorry. I said it was not a requirement in the Senate.
06:04And I spoke to Senator Ryan at the time. He said there is no dress code for the Senate.
06:10So therefore, and did you listen to my explanation? I said because I raised, I did, and I explained that.
06:17I raised it yesterday to do it. They didn't want to ban it. They wouldn't allow the conversation.
06:22So therefore, I thought you might have.
06:24Senator, at the time when the Coalition is about to have a debate on immigration,
06:29did that inform your thinking at all in the timing of bringing this issue of the burqa back to the world?
06:35No, it didn't. Nothing to do with it.
06:38Senator Hanson. Sorry.
06:40Do you have specific examples of how wearing a burqa is to bring national security?
06:45It's not only just national security. If you cannot wear a helmet into the bank or any other venues
06:52where they tell you to take a book, why is the burqa any different?
06:56Why is it that when women can drive around wearing the burqa and they commit an offence on the roads,
07:01that police officers can't identify who they are?
07:04It's a lot of things that are security risks.
07:06It also comes to the fact that you've actually, we're going to have digital facial ID.
07:11So where does that come in the scheme of things?
07:13Are we going to treat one group of people totally different to every other Australian?
07:18I think he enjoyed dinner. I made him a damn good dinner.
07:36But anyway, well, I told you I was going to wine and dine him and hopefully we'll see what happens.
07:43It's still a final decision. It has to be up to Barnaby.
07:47But anyway, he got a good GR stake.
07:50The gentleman here.
07:52Senator Hanson, when you did this seven years ago,
07:54you were a party polling at single digits around four to five per cent when you first wore the burqa in the Senate.
07:59Now you're polling at 20 per cent.
08:01So do you seriously think that one in five Australians support the position that you want to put forward?
08:06And do you think that at this point you're on the verge of becoming mainstream?
08:10Why go back to what many people see as a fringe issue as opposed to having to bring the agenda to other issues that Australians are clearly talking about light and cost of living?
08:18Look, I totally agree with you.
08:20It is very important to the Australian people, especially with our policies of getting rid of climate change and bringing in energy policy, which I'll be introducing at the end of the week.
08:31And cost of living, totally agree with the farming sector, agriculture, industries, manufacturing.
08:37Very, very important high on my agenda, as is family law.
08:42National security has been a big issue and it's also about women's rights.
08:47You know, these women who are actually forced to wear the burqa, which don't want to.
08:51This is not the Australian cultural, Australian way of life.
08:54I'm not having a go at this religion.
08:56And people, they're confused.
08:57It is not a religious requirement.
09:00I respect people of different faiths.
09:02I don't always agree with their religious beliefs.
09:05But that's not the point here.
09:07This is Australia and 24 countries around the world, including Islamic countries, have actually banned the burqa.
09:15So we have to take note of this.
09:18Why have they banned it?
09:19And mostly it's because they want assimilation.
09:22And, you know, I'll state that case.
09:26Like I said, the people will judge me.
09:28And if I direct people, go to my social pages, listen to the feedback on these radio stations that I've had.
09:34And they've told me, overwhelming support for myself on this issue.
09:40I was pulled up.
09:41I came out of the gallery to meet a couple of friends who arrived today.
09:44They've actually said, good on you.
09:46You know, respect what you're doing.
09:48Don't give up.
09:49That's the public.
09:50As I said, the people will judge me.
09:53Not the politicians here, who believe they have all the answers, which they don't.
09:58That's why this country isn't one hell of a mess.
10:00I'm going to take two more questions.
10:03Senator Hanson, just on the burqa, you talk about the future of Australia and maintaining an Australian culture.
10:11Is it just the burqa that you have a problem with?
10:13Or are there other religious and cultural symbols that you also have a problem with?
10:17Something like the hijab, but also turbans for the sea people, perhaps?
10:22Is it just the burqa that you have a problem with?
10:24As I said, full face coverings.
10:26That's what the legislation was about, full face coverings.
10:30And the fact is, you know, Islamic fundamentalism, that concerns me.
10:37Radicalisation that's happened in this country, Sharia law in some parts of our suburbs, that concerns me.
10:44You know, and standing up for women, being able to wear what they want to wear
10:49and not being suppressed by the males who want to take them back, you know, hundreds of years.
10:54And if people of this parliament screaming out all the time at the Greens and everyone about women's rights
10:59and everything like that, but you ignore what is happening.
11:02Female circumcision that is happening in control of the women.
11:05You know, young marriages to women.
11:08Isn't this important?
11:10Are we just going to ignore all this?
11:12I'm sorry, I won't.
11:13I will keep standing my ground with regards to this.
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