How a Gaza ‘stunt’ divided Australia’s parliament

When Fatima Payman reached the Senate grounds to vote against her government, she knew it would have adverse consequences.

The Australian Hard Work Party has a tough crackdown on those who undermine its collective positions, and acts of defiance can lead to expulsion – a precedent with a 130-year history.

Even before Ms Payman was born its politicians had seen their last days in power examining the water age.

However, finally on Tuesday, the 29-year-old did just that – joining the Green Party and disinterested senators to support a movement on Palestinian statehood.

Officially the Australian government supports a two-state solution, but the movement did not try – and failed – to put forward a position that any such situation would be acceptable “as part of the peace process”. Should be.

Within hours, Ms Payman was suspended from her birthday celebration room for a period of time, eventually turning into an indefinite period – following which she publicly vowed to take the field again if she got the chance.

A spokesperson for the Central Authority said, “By his own actions and statements, Senator Payman has excluded himself from the privileges that come with participating in the federal parliamentary Labor Party caucus.”

Prime Minister and Labor chief Anthony Albanese was more succinct: “No individual is bigger than the team.”

On Monday, Ms Payman responded by announcing she had been “banished” – explaining that she had been removed from caucus conferences, crew chats and all committees.

There has been a united reaction to the dismissal of senators elected as Australia’s most diverse parliament and questions have been raised – chiefly, whether it is appropriate or appropriate for politicians to follow orders on issues affecting their communities. ,

Ms Payman remained in the Australian Parliament.

The first and best known federal woman to wear a hijab, she has been described as the embodiment of the most marginalized of most people: a gentle woman, an immigrant, a Muslim.

He described crossing the Senate grounds as “the hardest decision” of his political career, adding that each step of his journey “felt like a mile”.

On the other hand, the 29-year-old mentioned that she is “proud” of what she has done, and she is “very disappointed” when others don’t embrace it.

“I walked with my Muslim brothers and sisters, who told me they had felt unheard for too long,” she said.

The Israeli military launched an operation to destroy the Hamas forces running Gaza in an extraordinary Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.

More than 37,900 people have since been killed in Gaza, including 23 in 24 hours, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

This has become a destabilizing political factor in Australia that all parties have sought to carefully control.

As has happened in many other countries, in addition to the apparent increase in Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, there were protests from both the Jewish and Muslim communities.

The senator’s move has drawn every celebration and complaint.

Anne Ally – who was the first Muslim woman elected to Australia’s parliament in 2016 – and has been a strong supporter of ending the war in Gaza, said she disagreed with Ms Payman’s approach.

“I choose to do things in a way that I think will make a significant difference at the grassroots level. Fatima chose to do it her own way,” she told news outlet ABC.

But Josh Burns – a Jewish Labor MP from Melbourne – who has a different world view from Ms Payman on issues such as Palestinian statehood, has been one of her biggest supporters.

“MPs come from different communities and backgrounds, and trying to balance all those viewpoints is not easy, but we must be an example to the Australian community of how to respectfully debate difficult issues.”

The country’s Islamic bodies also issued a joint statement describing Ms Payman’s actions as “courageous” and calling on the Labor Party to “reiterate the voice of the people it represents”.

“Political calculations and attempts to trip on both sides could have tragic consequences in Palestine and ultimately result in failure,” it said.

However Mr Albanese called this solution a “stunt”, adding: “We really need real solutions… This stunt by the Greens was designed to put Fatima Payman in a difficult position. Was designed to do.”

Mr Albanese’s punishment against Ms Payman has been more lenient than all expulsions required by party laws.

And he has left the door open for her to re-enter the line if she is willing to change course: “Fatima Payman is welcome to participate in the team if she accepts that she is a member of it,” he mentioned in an interview on Monday. ,

Australian politicians have voted against their own ideals to pursue party politics.

Queer MPs – including Wave Foreign Minister Penny Wong – felt a similar battle within the Hard Work caucus in the days when it formally opposed gay marriage.

It is a topic that has opened Ms Wong up to personal attacks, but she is adamant that advocating for peace from within the party – rather than complaining about the mob – is the most popular path.

And he says it took a decade to do so, legalizing gay marriage.

“Even when we disagree, we still have those arguments internally, as you’ve seen in the marriage equality debate over many years. That’s what I did, and I think that’s the right way to do it,” she told ABC.

But when asked whether she would follow the precedent, Ms Payman said: “It took 10 years for gay marriage to become law… These Palestinians don’t have 10 years.”

According to Kos Samaras – one of the country’s leading pollsters – the contrasting views represent the changing demands of the Australian public.

He says a growing group of young, multicultural voters are increasingly aligning themselves with politicians who are not afraid to take stances on issues that their constituents are “passionate about.”

He also argues that migrant communities are no longer willing to accept political messaging that effectively urges them to “keep their heads down”.

“Australia has a terrible history, whether from a social perspective or political parties – that whenever someone from a diverse background expresses their views, they’re told to get their heads over their backs.”

“It’s a formula that works when a new group of people immigrate to a country and want to keep a low profile as they are setting up a new life – it won’t work with the children of those immigrants. And that’s exactly what we’re talking about.

“These are people who have grown up in a country that often makes them feel like outsiders, and they are no longer willing to be silent,” he said, noting a recent survey of his workforce. Which found that many young Australian-Muslim girls actually feel they lack political expression.

A refugee whose family fled Afghanistan after it fell to the Taliban in 1996, Ms. Payman says it is a sentiment that guides her politics.

“I was not chosen as a symbolic representative of diversity,” he said after his temporary suspension last week.

“I was elected to serve the people of Western Australia and maintain the values ​​instilled in me by my late father.”

Ms Payman says she believes the government is trying to “intimidate” her into resigning.

But Mr Albanese is adamant his decision was the right one, insisting it was not about Ms Payman’s “policy position” but about her decision to “weaken” his party. Is about.

At least to this day, the young MLA has vowed to “abstain from voting on Senate matters… unless a matter of conscience arises where I will uphold the true values ​​and principles of the Labor Party.”