One Nation Leader Appeals to Prime Minister to Lift Burqa Suspension

One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson wears a burqa in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Nov. 24, 2025. AAP Image/Mick TsikasOne Nation leader Pauline Hanson has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to lift her seven-day suspension from Parliament.Hanson said her participation was important given the prime minister was recalling parliament early to pass new hate speech laws in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.Labor is also set to begin work on the country’s largest national gun buyback scheme since the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre.“I am seeking your support to overturn the ban imposed upon me by the Senate to debate these urgent Bills,” read Hanson’s letter posted on X on Jan. 7.“My contribution to this debate as the leader of One Nation and Senator for Queensland is critical.”In her X post, Hanson insisted that her ban from the parliament was triggered due to her warnings against radical Islam and anti-Semitism fuelled by the current government.She accused the government Senate leader and Foreign Minister Penny Wong of moving a censure motion against her for her “efforts to raise awareness of the unrestrained growth of radical Islam on Australian soil.”“One Nation’s infinite warnings of anti-Semitism and Jew hatred were ignored by Labor and the Greens … Labor’s determination to recognise a Palestinian state flew in the face of warnings by One Nation and other global leaders,” she said.Hanson also stated that she was not worried if an existing Senate ban on her attending official overseas parliamentary delegations continued.“I welcome your support in overturning this unnecessary suspension from the Senate.”Burqu Stunt Results in SuspensionOn Nov. 25, 2025, Hanson was labelled a “racist” and suspended from the Senate after wearing a burqa into the chamber during a vote on a motion one day earlier.On Nov. 24, 2025, after repeatedly refusing orders to remove her burqa or leave the chamber, Senate President Sue Lines suspended the sitting for about 90 minutes.The disruption continued when the majority of senators voted in favor of a motion by Senate Leader Wong to suspend Hanson, while One Nation senators called for a division, challenging the suspension.The Senate session was put on hold again after another motion by Wong to suspend Hanson was passed.“Senator Hanson mocked and vilified an entire faith, a faith observed by nearly a million Australians … I’ve never seen someone be so disrespectful to [the parliament],” said Wong.The move came shortly after Hanson failed to pass a bill banning the Islamic head covering in Australian public places. This is the second time the 71-year-old has attempted the burqa-wearing stunt in the Senate after the first time in 2017.