Increasingly ugly abuse in federal parliament has prompted a group of independents and the Greens to call for an urgent intervention from Labor to change the rules, warning that allowing racism and bigotry to “fester” is corroding democracy.
Guardian Australia can reveal independents Fatima Payman and Lidia Thorpe, and the Greens’ Mehreen Faruqi are demanding Senate president Sue Lines take the problem seriously with a new inquiry and mandatory anti-racism training for politicians.
In a five-page letter sent to Lines on Wednesday morning and seen by Guardian Australia, the senators expressed their deep concern about the “overt and insidious” racism they say they’ve felt and experienced in the upper house
“When we speak out against racism, we are punished for it,” the senators said.
“This patronising behaviour publicly undermines women of colour, like us, seeking to speak to an issue that directly impacts them and their community.
“This behaviour is part of a broader pattern where we are treated as interruptions, as irritants and as subjects for ridicule and criticism, rather than as equal members of the chamber.”
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The senators said recent incidents, where they said they had attempted to call out racism but were shut down, had left them feeling “belittled, isolated and worn down simply for doing our jobs”.
“We strongly feel that double standards are used to silence us and procedural rules are weaponised to shut down those calling out racism, instead of racism itself,” the letter said.
“Allowing racism – overt or subtle – to fester in the Parliament undermines its integrity. It corrodes democracy. It harms people. It signals to young women of colour across the country that their participation in public life will be met with hostility, belittlement and punishment.
“It discourages future leaders from stepping forward, from speaking out, and from trusting that their parliament is a place for them.”
The senators pointed to a stunt by One Nation senator Pauline Hanson last year, where she wore a burqa in the Senate for the second time in her parliamentary career.
The senators said the Liberal senator Slade Brockman, who was chairing at the time as a deputy president, stated that “dress is a matter for an individual senator’s conscience” and had refused to take immediate action.
Faruqi and Thorpe were ordered to resume their seats when they attempted to make a point of order, the senators said.
According to the Senate Hansard and video of the event, Hanson remained in the chamber for at least 25 minutes before sitting was suspended over the matter.
Hanson was ultimately censured for her actions and suspended from the chamber for seven days.
Brockman responded to Payman, “on the same issue, I take it?” when she had also attempted to make a point of order during the division.
The senators described the comment as “condescending”.
“This patronising behaviour publicly undermines women of colour, like us, seeking to speak to an issue that directly impacts them and their community,” the letter said.
In another example, the senators pointed to an exchange between Thorpe and former NSW senator, Hollie Hughes, in March 2023 after the latter made “what appears to be a derogatory comment about the practice of acknowledging country”.
Thorpe interjected, asking “Is that racism?” but was asked to withdraw the comment deemed a breach of the standing orders for the “imputation of improper motives and personal reflections against senators”. Hughes also withdrew the comment she made.
The senators have asked Lines to look at changing the standing orders in order to end double standards, and enforce mandatory anti-racism training “starting with those who have the honour and privilege of overseeing proceedings”.
In November 2024, Labor had agreed to an inquiry in Senate’s procedure committee put forward by Thorpe and Faruqi to examine racism and sexism in federal parliament.
The committee never met on the issue and it lapsed following the 2025 federal election. An attempt by the same senators to re-establish the inquiry earlier this month was voted against by Labor and the Coalition.
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, said while the government agreed that the conduct and behaviour of senators had “deteriorated to an unacceptable level”, it didn’t agree the inquiry was a solution to “remedy that behaviour”.
“I would also encourage those who are moving this motion today to reflect honestly about their own conduct towards others in this place,” she said.
Since the release of the Set the Standard report in November 2021, the federal parliament has established a HR support agency, the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service, and behaviour watchdog, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission.
The report also recommended the presiding officers review standing orders and unwritten parliamentary conventions to make sure they improve safety in the chambers and eliminate sexist, exclusionary or discriminatory behaviour, language and practices.
Earlier this month, United Australia party senator Ralph Babet was named by the IPSC as refusing to accept any sanction over “offensive” and “disrespectful” comments he made on social media.
Under the law, the IPSC is able to make a public statement about an investigation if a parliamentarian fails to comply with a sanction, such as mandatory workplace behaviour training.
However, more serious sanctions, including salary docking or suspension, must be referred to the Senate’s privileges committee and decided by peers.
