On 24 November 2025, Senator Pauline Hanson, the leader of One Nation, entered the Australian Senate chamber wearing a black burqa, drawing stark condemnation from across the political spectrum and reigniting debate about Islamophobia, national security and women’s rights. The stunt forced the Senate to suspend proceedings for about an hour and a half, and Hanson was barred from the chamber for the rest of the day. The following day, 25 November, the Senate censured her by 55 votes to 5 and suspended her for seven sitting days, one of the harshest penalties imposed on a senator in decades.
What Happened
The Senate was suspended on Monday afternoon after Hanson refused to remove the burqa. Senate President Sue Lines asked her to take it off, and when she refused, Hanson was barred from the chamber for the remainder of the day. Proceedings resumed after about an hour and a half.
Why She Did It
Pauline Hanson says her act was a protest: she had been denied leave to introduce a private senator’s bill that would ban “burqas and other full-face coverings in public places”. She framed the burqa as a national security risk and a symbol of what she described as the “ill treatment of women”. In a Facebook post, she criticised her Senate colleagues as “hypocrites” and said that if they did not want her wearing the garment, they should ban it.
Reactions from Politicians and Community
The stunt drew fierce criticism from across Parliament and from community leaders.
Greens leader Larissa Waters called it an insult. Labor Senate leader Penny Wong said Hanson’s behaviour was “not worthy” of Parliament and accused her of being disrespectful to the chamber and to people of faith. Liberal Senate leader Anne Ruston argued it was not an appropriate way to address the chamber.
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe demanded Hanson be ejected, while Fatima Payman, who is Muslim and wears a hijab, said the act disrespected a faith and a community of Australians and needed to be dealt with immediately. Mehreen Faruqi, a Greens senator and one of the few Muslim parliamentarians, labelled the stunt racist and Islamophobic. Nationals Senator Matt Canavan said the act debased Parliament and ridiculed Muslim Australians.
Aftab Malik, Australia’s special envoy against Islamophobia, warned that linking the burqa to security risks could worsen harassment and violence against Muslim women.
Historical Context: Not Her First Burqa Stunt
This was not the first time Hanson wore a burqa into Parliament to make her point. In 2017, she entered the Senate during Question Time in a full-length burqa, calling for the garment to be banned on national security grounds. Then-Attorney-General George Brandis said the behaviour mocked a faith community. Human rights organisations also condemned the earlier act, with Amnesty International Australia calling it a revolting act of intolerance and an attack on Muslim women.
About Pauline Hanson: Profile & Political Career
| Attribute | Details |
| Full name | Pauline Lee Hanson |
| Date of birth | 27 May 1954 |
| Party | Founder and leader of One Nation (also known as Pauline Hanson’s One Nation) |
| Political rise | Elected to Ipswich City Council in 1994; first entered federal Parliament in 1996 as an independent MP for Oxley; founded One Nation in 1997. |
| Ideology | Right-wing populist, national conservative, known for anti-immigration and anti-Islam rhetoric. |
Hanson’s political career has been marked by controversy, particularly relating to race, immigration and cultural identity. In 2024, she was found by a federal court to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act after telling Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, who is Muslim, that she should “pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan.”
Broader Implications & Risks
The episode fuelled concern about prejudice against Muslim women who wear face-veiling garments by choice or faith. Malik warned that it could deepen harassment and violence against them.
Hanson continues to frame the burqa as a risk to safety, though she has declined to provide concrete evidence of security threats.
The stunt also raised questions about decorum in the Senate and the use of provocation in parliamentary politics.
Timeline of the Incident
- Motion denied: Hanson is refused leave to introduce her bill to ban full-face coverings.
- Burqa entry: she returns to the Senate wearing a burqa during division.
- Refusal to comply: she refuses to remove the burqa after being admonished.
- Suspension: the Senate suspends her for the day.
- Senate halted: proceedings are suspended for about 90 minutes.
- Aftermath: the Senate resumes without her.
Pauline Hanson’s stunt has once again sharpened national debate. Underneath the political theatre lies a deep fault line: how Australia balances freedom of expression, religious freedom and security concerns while preserving the integrity of its parliamentary process.
Sources: The Guardian, “Pauline Hanson suspended from Senate over burqa stunt as Mehreen Faruqi says parliament ‘drips in racism'” (theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/nov/25/pauline-hanson-suspended-from-senate-over-burqa-stunt-as-mehreen-faruqi-says-parliament-drips-in-racism); BBC News, “Australia senator suspended after burka stunt in parliament” (bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz94pdkzqvwo).
Photo: jfish92, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
