One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has worn a burqa inside the Australian Senate for the second time in her career, sparking a meltdown from left-wing senators.
Ms Hanson entered the chamber in the full-length black Islamic veil on Monday afternoon after she was barred from tabling a bill to ban the Muslim face coverings.
Muslim immigrant senators Mehreen Faruqi and Fatima Payman, and aboriginal senator Lidia Thorpe then shouted at Ms Hanson, accusing her of racism.
Pauline Hanson has worn a burqa into the Senate after she was barred from tabling a bill calling for Islamic full-face coverings to be banned.
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Ms Faruqi, who sued Ms Hanson for telling her to “piss off” back to her native country of Pakistan in a tweet, declared “this is a racist senator displaying blatant racism and islamophobia” and and demanded the Senate Deputy President “pull her up on that”.
Ms Payman, whose right to hold office has been questioned by Ms Hanson since she has never revoked her Afghan citizenship, called the wearing of the burqa “unconstitutional” and demanded it be “dealt with immediately.
“[Ms Hanson] is disrespecting a faith, she is disrespecting the Muslims out there, Muslim Australians,” she said.
“It’s disgraceful, it’s a shame.”
Greens leader Larissa Waters also accused Ms Hanson of being “extremely racist and unsafe”.
Muslim immigrant senator Mehreen Faruqi and Fatima Payman then accused Hanson of "racism". pic.twitter.com/TfHuFXaWZW
— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) November 24, 2025
But the One Nation senator wrote on social media that if other senators didn’t want her wearing the burqa, they should pass her bill and outlaw it.
“Today, the Senate stopped the introduction of my Bill to Ban the Burqa and Other Full Face Coverings in Public Places,” she wrote.
“Despite the ban in 24 countries across the world (including Islamic countries), the hypocrites in our parliament have rejected my Bill.
“So if the parliament won’t ban it, I will display this oppressive, radical, non-religious head garb that risk 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.”
One Nation is currently enjoying record levels of popularity, with a Redbridge/Accent poll from last week putting the party on 18% of the primary vote, just two points behind the Liberals, and also found it was seen as the best to deal with the issue of immigration.
Header image: Left, Pauline Hanson before entering the chamber (Facebook). Right, walking into the senate (Australian Parliament).
