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

I move:

That the Senate—

(1) Notes that:

(a) on Monday 24 November 2025, Senator Hanson engaged in behaviour in the chamber that was intended to vilify and mock people on the basis of their religion;

(b) Senator Hanson's actions were disrespectful to Muslim Australians;

(c) Senator Hanson's actions disrespected the Parliament and were inconsistent with the standards of behaviour that all parliamentarians have an obligation to uphold;

(d) Senator Hanson further disrespected the Senate by refusing to obey the ruling of the chair;

(e) the Senate then took the extraordinary step of suspending Senator Hanson for the remainder of the sitting day;

(f) Senator Hanson refused to comply with the Senate's order and leave the chamber, requiring the sitting of the Senate to be suspended; and

(g) Senator Hanson's actions were contrary to the standing orders, a blatant disregard for the authority of the Senate President and disrespected her Senate colleagues and the people they represent.

(2) Affirms that Australia has been built by people of every race and faith.

(3) Reaffirms that Australia is a nation that welcomes different races, religions and views, united by respect for each other and each other's right to live in peace.

(4) Rejects any attempt to vilify or mock people on the basis of religion.

(5) Reiterates its solidarity with those who have been vilified because of their faith.

(6) Reaffirms that all parliamentarians have a role to play in upholding appropriate standards of behaviour in Parliament.

(7) Calls on those who work in and report on this Chamber to ensure they are not causing harm or platforming harmful actions.

(8) Censures Senator Hanson for her actions, which do not reflect the opinions of the Australian Senate or the Australian people.

(9) Does not regard it as appropriate for Senator Hanson to represent the Senate as a member of any delegation during the life of this Parliament.

(10) Considers Senator Hanson's conduct in defying the ruling of the chair and refusal to leave the chamber following her suspension amounts to further disorder under standing order 203.

(11) Calls upon Senator Hanson to attend the Senate immediately to make an explanation or apology, of no more than 5 minutes, in accordance with standing order 203(3).

I thank the Senate for the support for enabling this debate. Colleagues, after what occurred yesterday, someone I'm close to, this morning, spoke about a conversation with her seven-year-old daughter last night. Her daughter asked, 'Mummy, do all Christians hate Muslims?' That summarised where we found ourselves. We see it again. You see, I grew up in an Australia where my brother and I were the only Asians at school, and I have spoken at length about what that was like. But, Senator, I would also speak to you about my family: my father converted to Catholicism; my beloved grandmother, a devout Buddhist; my mum, a somewhat lapsed Methodist; and cousins who are Muslim. We are a family of many faiths, as is our country.

This is modern Australia. An Australia that is stronger because we are united at home. An Australia that is stronger in the world because we are united at home. Stronger in the world because our multicultural society gives us the ability to reach into every corner of the world and find common ground, a nation built, Senator Babet, by people of every race and every faith—every race and every faith. A nation that welcomes different races, different religions, different views. A nation united by respect for each other and each other's right to live in peace. A nation where kids can grow up seeing themselves in their leaders. A nation where kids don't get mocked or threatened or vilified because of who they are, who aren't afraid for their safety on a bus home from school and who don't come home to find it covered in abuse. I know how that feels, coming home as a kid to racist graffiti on the driveway.

Whatever Senator Hanson may tell herself, it is people like this who suffer because of her immature and shameless stunt—and that is all it was. Senator Hanson has been parading prejudice as protest for decades. In her first speech to this house, she said Australia was in danger of being swamped by Asians, by people like me. Now she's added Muslims to the list. In my very first speech in this place, I said that because of people like her Australia was in danger of being swamped by hatred. And yesterday, purely to get attention, and not for the first time—it's an old play, replayed—Senator Hanson mocked and vilified an entire faith—a faith observed by nearly one million Australians, and the second-largest religion in this country.

Colleagues, senators, freedom of expression is central to who we are as Australians, but so too is respect. I believe, and I think most of this Senate believes, that disrespecting fellow Australians because of their faith is itself un-Australian. For a senator to punch down on a Muslim kid—that's the effect of your words—let's understand that that is un-Australian.

Senator Hanson makes absurd comments about people's clothing being a risk to national security at the same time as she's publishing internal floor plans of Parliament House on the internet. Our national cohesion is a strength. Our national security is risked by threats to social cohesion, because a divided nation is a vulnerable nation. We need to remind ourselves of what Senator Brandis spoke about when this stunt last occurred. As he stood against your stunt then, and he was right to do so, he spoke about the importance of working with the Muslim community in the interest of Australian national security. Senator Hanson's hateful and shallow pageantry tears at our social fabric, and I believe it makes Australia weaker. It also has cruel consequences for many of our most vulnerable, including in our schoolyards, who should be able to look to us in this place to set an example.

I want to end on this point. If this Senate passes the requirement for an apology, to enable Senator Hanson to do so promptly, can I indicate to the Senate I will move that this motion be put after 30 minutes of debate. I want to end on this point—that is, people should be able to look to this place to set an example. This can be a robust place. This can be a place of great contest. It should be. But there should be guardrails, as I have spoken about before. There should be the recognition of the importance of civility, even where there is contest. There should be limits on what we do and what we say, and what we saw yesterday was all of those boundaries crossed willingly.

The institution itself was damaged by your behaviour yesterday, because not only did you do what you did, Senator, but the chamber—the President—asked you to remove that item of clothing, and you refused a direct direction from the chair. And then, even worse, when all of your colleagues in this place—or so many, the vast majority—under the standing orders told you to remove yourself because you were defying a direction of the President, you defied the whole Senate and stayed. I have never seen that. I have never seen someone be so disrespectful to this institution.

So we have given you the opportunity, should this motion pass, to apologise. And I give you fair notice, Senator Hanson: if that fails to occur or if it's not to the Senate's satisfaction, we will take the next step of action that is available to the Senate under the standing orders. I thank the Senate, and I indicate, as I said, I will seek to close this debate after half an hour.