Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to ask that you reflect the ruling of Senator Parry when in the President's chair in relation to a similar stunt by this senator in this place. I would remind those who may not have been here of what the then leader of the government, Senator Brandis, said at the time: 'Senator, I am not going to pretend to ignore the stunt that you have tried to pull today by arriving in the chamber dressed in a burqa when we all know you are not an adherent of the Islamic faith. I would caution and counsel you, with respect, to be very, very careful of the offence you may do to the religious sensibilities of other Australians. We have many Australians in this country who are adherents of the Islamic faith, and the great majority of them are law-abiding Australians—good Australians, Senator Hanson, and it is absolutely consistent with being a decent Australian and being a strict and adherent Muslim.'

Senator Hanson, I would say this to you—and this is me now, not Senator Brandis, with whose remarks I concur, and it was one of the occasions in this chamber where the then opposition backed the government of the day to stand against this sort of stunt. What I would say to you, President, is that Senator Hanson and all of us in this place have a great privilege in coming into this chamber. We represent, in our states, people of every faith and of all backgrounds, and we should do so decently. What we should not do in this place, whatever views we may have on policy, is to be this disrespectful of the chamber and of people of faith, whatever our own beliefs may be. The sort of disrespect that you are engaging in now is not worthy of a member of the Australian Senate, and it should not be allowed to stand.

I ask, President, that you take advice from the Clerk, and I'd refer you to the ruling of Senator Parry when he was the President in relation to precisely the same issue that we are seeing today.