- By Ajeet Kumar
- Wed, 28 May 2025 12:28 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Australian Independent Senator Fatima Payman has filed a formal complaint after an older male colleague shockingly made inappropriate and offensive comments to her at an official event. According to Fatima, her colleague asked her to have drinks and dance on the table. Payman, who was born in Afghanistan and is the first senator in Australia to wear a hijab, told ABC that the man had been drinking when he said, "Let’s get some wine into you and see you dance on the table." She responded firmly, telling him to stop, and later filed a complaint.
As a Muslim, Payman does not drink alcohol as alcohol consumption impermissible in Islam and is often termed as "haram". Quoting the rules of Islam, the lawmaker said the comment made her feel uncomfortable and singled out because of her religion and culture. "Being clear is being kind. You actually are helping somebody understand what your boundaries are by speaking up," she told ABC.
Later, she submitted the complaint to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS), a body created after the Brittany Higgins case in 2021, which exposed serious issues of harassment and heavy drinking in Parliament.
Who is Fatima Payman?
At 28, Payman became the first hijab-wearing female Australian parliamentarian, aiming to challenge the entrenched culture within Australia’s political parties alongside a new generation of MPs. She noted a cultural shift in Parliament House, driven by young, outspoken individuals unafraid of visibility. Payman praised the “swift” and supportive response from the Parliamentary Workplace Service in handling her case.
Elected in 2022 on a Labor ticket from Western Australia, she left the party in 2024 after supporting a Greens motion for Palestinian statehood recognition. After a short stint as an independent senator, she founded Australia’s Voice in October 2024.