Senators Pauline Hanson and Richard Di Natale went head-to-head in the Senate on Thursday, September 13, after Hanson attempted to introduce a petition targeting hijab and niqab wearers.
The petition, called motion 1048, asked the Senate to “acknowledge full-face coverings, such as burqas and niqabs, have no place in modern western society &, call on the Government to move to ban them in places where identification is necessary & security is an issue.”
It further recommended that Parliament ban “any form of full-face covering.” Both recommendations failed.
Hanson attempted to explain that the burqa and niqab were “not a religious requirement” but “a form of dress” and said that her recommendation was based on “security.”
Greens leader Di Natale said Hanson “should hang her head in shame” and called her a “disgrace.”
Last year, Hanson made headlines after wearing a burqa into the chamber. Credit: ParlView via Storyful