Sarah Hooper
Published November 25, 2025 10:27am
Updated November 25, 2025 10:27am
Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook
Comment now
Comments
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Up Next
Previous Page Next PageA senator who is campaigning for a national burqa ban has been barred from Parliament for the rest of the year for wearing the Muslim garment in the chamber.
Pauline Hanson, the 71-year-old leader of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigration One Nation party, was accused of performing a disrespectful stunt on Monday.
She waltzed into the Senate shrouded in a head-to-ankle garment to protest against fellow senators’ refusal to consider her Bill that would ban the burqa and other full-face coverings in public places.
Senators suspended her for the rest of the day on Monday.
In the absence of an apology, they passed a censure motion on Tuesday that carried one of the harshest penalties against a senator in recent decades, as she was barred from seven consecutive Senate sitting days.
She later took off the black garment, claiming she wanted it banned for ‘national security’.
Paulina marched across the Senate floor as shocked politicians watched (Picture: Reuters)
Senator Fatima Payman was at a loss for words when seeing Pauline Hanson in the burqa (Picture: Reuters)
The stunt has cost her a few months sitting in parliament. When Parliament resumes next February, she will still be suspended.
‘They didn’t want to ban the burqa, yet they denied me the right to wear it on the floor of Parliament,’ Hanson told reporters after.
‘There is no dress code on the floor of Parliament, yet I’m not allowed to wear it. So to me, it’s been hypocritical.’
Why is Australia debating banning the burqa?
Pauline stripped off the burqa to deliver remarks (Picture: EPA)
It’s not the first time Hanson has floated a bill wanting to ban the burqa. Hanson previously wore a burqa on the Senate floor in 2017 in a bid to ban the garment, but wasn’t punished at the time.
She’s long campaigned to outlaw full face coverings in public, including the burqa. In 2016, she cited fear that her country was ‘being swamped by Muslims’ as a reason for the ban.
Hanson also says it’s a national security and terror risk, making it hard to identify people if they’re wearing garments like a burqa.
She’s also said it oppresses Muslim women, claiming the garment is forced upon them by men.
For reference, around 1,000,000 Australians identify as Muslim, compared to a majority of Christians in the country.
Have any countries banned the burqa?
Several nations have moved to ban the burqa all together (Picture: Getty)
Several nations have banned the burqa.
Algeria, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chad, China, Denmark, France, Gabon, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, and Latvia all have legislation against the garment.
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan have all also issued bans of some sort.
In most of these cases, the burqa has been banned only in public buildings or schools.
What is the difference between a burqa and a niqab?
The burqa is a full-body garment that covers the head and most of the face and goes right down to the feet, but in some places, wearers use mesh in the eye gap for more coverage.
More Trending
-
Boy, 8, dies after breaking his arm at school
Channel: World World 20 hours ago By Sam Courtney-Guy - Volcano erupts for first time in 10,000 years causing flight disruption
- 'Dead' grandmother wakes up in coffin moments before funeral
- Putin rejects peace proposal from Europe and rains death on Ukraine in response
The main difference between a burka and a niqab is that the niqab does not cover the whole body. It’s a veil that covers the face and head and usually goes down to just past the shoulders.
This is often worn with a loose black garment called an abaya that covers the rest of the body.
A hijab is a scarf that covers the head and neck but leaves the face open.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Arrow MORE: Passenger, 73, dies after falling from Disney Wonder cruise ship
Arrow MORE: Wave of Australian schools in lockdown after disturbing find in play sand
Arrow MORE: Rockstar ‘has tantrum’ after gig is shut down over crowd crush fears
Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source News UpdatesStay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.
Email I agree to receive newsletters from Metro I agree to receive newsletters from Metro Sign UpSign UpThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy
