One Nation leader Pauline Hanson will be referred to the Australian Human Rights Commission by NSW Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi after she doubled down on her abuse of the senator by telling her to “p— off back to Pakistan”.
The upper house on Tuesday considered a motion that would have censured Senator Hanson for the “divisive, anti-migrant and racist statement” directed at Senator Faruqi after she criticised the British monarchy.
“I have the right to talk about this history without being racially vilified,” Senator Faruqi told the Senate.
“It is insulting and it is humiliating.”
Senator Hanson, who appears frequently on Sky News’ evening programming, including on the Paul Murray program, was unrepentant in the chamber after question time.
“I will not, not retract,” she said, in a speech that drew jeers from across the chamber. “She can do and go where I’ve […] said.
“I make the offer also to take her to the airport.”
On a day of fiery language, Senator Hanson’s remarks drew outrage, with one of her colleagues clearly heard blasting her as an “absolute scumbag”.
But Senator Hanson denied her remarks were racially motivated and blamed “activists” for using “race to divide”.
“Criticism is not racism,” she said.
Senator Hanson was dumped as a contributor to Channel Nine’s Today program in 2020 for her umpteenth racist remark in her time in public life.
The government’s leader in the Senate, Malaysian-born Penny Wong, told the upper house the remarks were “appalling” and she had herself been subject to similar vitriol.
“I still get triggered,” she said.
This is not the first time one of Senator Hanson’s upper house stunts has been described as “appalling”.
In 2017, George Brandis, then attorney-general, used the same term when she wore a burqa into question time, tearing it off as she rose to speak.
Since the federal election, Senator Hanson has less power in the upper house.
One Nation’s votes were often pivotal under the previous government, but the new senate under the Albanese government puts more focus on the Greens, Jacqui Lambie’s two senators and independent David Pocock.
Senator Hanson only narrowly held onto her seat at the May election.
She beat conservative LNP senator Amanda Stoker in a tight contest for Queensland’s sixth spot – with One Nation losing almost 4 per cent of its vote from the 2019 election.
On Tuesday, Senator Wong said such racism as displayed towards Senator Faruqi was an attack on the notion of democracy, but that a censure motion could not become the standard way of responding to social media attacks.
An amended motion was instead passed condemning racism “in all its forms” and calling on senators to hold themselves to a higher standard when engaging in debate.
Senator Faruqi said she would pursue the matter with the Australian Human Rights Commission.
