Australian senator Pauline Hanson sparks outrage as she wears burqa in Parliament. Watch

Pauline Hanson was suspended from Parliament for seven sitting days after she wore burqa to press for a ban

Published on: Nov 25, 2025, 10:38:02 IST

By HT News Desk

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Australian far-right senator Pauline Hanson sparked outrage in Parliament on Monday after she entered wearing a burqa to push for a ban on the Muslim garment in public, sparking reactions from people who accused her of racism.

In a statement later posted by Hanson on Facebook, she said her actions were in protest of the bill, calling the garment a “garb that risks national security and the ill-treatment of women.” (Reuters)

Proceedings were suspended as Pauline refused to remove the garment.

A video of the incident also went viral, in which Pauline can be seen entering Parliament wearing the full-body garment. The house broke out in chaos, and her display was met by outrage from fellow senators, Reuters reported.

Hanson's One Nation party was seeking to introduce a bill in the Senate that would ban full-face coverings in Australia, a policy she has campaigned on for decades.

Also read: Who is Pauline Hanson? Australian far-right politician sparks uproar with burqa stunt in parliament

Many called it a “racist” and “disgraceful stunt”. Foreign minister Penny Wong, who leads the centre-left Labour government in the Senate, said: “Senator Hanson's hateful and shallow pageantry tears at our social fabric and I believe it makes Australia weaker.”

In a statement later posted by Hanson on Facebook, she said her actions were in protest of the bill, calling the garment a “garb that risks national security and the ill-treatment of women.”

This was not the first time Hanson has worn a burqa to Parliament. Earlier in 2017, she wore the garment to highlight what she said were security issues posed by the burqa.

Also read: ‘If they don’t want me wearing it, ban it': Australian far-right senator wears burqa in Parliament; sparks row

Hanson suspended for 7 days

According to a Reuters report, Hanson was suspended on Tuesday for seven sitting days after the incident. A motion censuring the leader was passed with a 55-5 majority.

Meanwhile, Hanson stood by her views and told the reporters in Canberra, "If you can wear a helmet into the bank or any other venues where they tell you to take it off, why is the burqa any different?"

A senator from Queensland state, Hanson reportedly rose to prominence in the 1990s due to her strict opposition to immigration from Asia and asylum seekers. She has long campaigned for a nationwide ban on the garment.

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