Australian Senator Suspended After Burqa Stunt in Parliament
Pauline Hanson, leader of the One Nation party in Australia, was suspended from the Senate on 25 November 2025 for seven sitting days after she entered the chamber wearing a burqa. The gesture was a protest targeting the proposed ban on full-face coverings, a measure she has long championed. Her actions provoked wide condemnation across party lines.
Senate Censure and Political Fallout
The Senate passed a censure motion against Hanson with a 55 to 5 vote, finding that her act “mocked and vilified” an entire faith and was “disrespectful” to both Muslim Australians and the parliamentary institution. Several senators, including Penny Wong, criticised the stunt as damaging to Australia’s social cohesion.
Background and Broader Debate
Hanson’s move follows her previous burqa appearance in Parliament in 2017, when she first used the garment as a political tool to push for legislation banning it. Her protest this week reignited discussion around face-covering bans, freedom of religious expression and the responsibilities of legislators in multicultural democracies.
