Source : Perth Now news
Pauline Hanson has joined forces with an independent senator in a bizarre new alliance to call for change on “one issue”.
The One Nation leader stood side-by-side with Western Australia senator Fatima Payman and independent Fowler MP Dai Le to demand Anthony Albanese allocate additional staffing for the minor parties.
It comes only months after Senator Hanson relitigated unfounded scepticism of Senator Payman’s eligibility to serve in Parliament, owing to her being born in Afghanistan.
The two have also clashed over Senator Hanson’s criticism of Islam and Muslim Australians, including when the One Nation leader was suspended from the Senate after donning a burqa in a widely-panned stunt.
In 2024, in a fiery exchange in the Senate, Senator Payman said Senator Hanson was nasty and that she brought “disgrace to the human race”.
Addressing the media, Senator Hanson said to “stand united on this one issue about staffing; is very important to me”.
Quizzed on Senator Payman’s previous criticism, Senator Hanson said it was “wrong” to ask her.
“This is not about any comments that have been made in the past by any one of us. Deal with the issues that’s here today,” she said.
Senator Payman, who defected from Labor after joining the Parliament, defended teaming up with Senator Hanson.
“Australians want to see politicians act in a mature way, to put their differences aside when it comes to common causes,” she said.
“We don’t have to agree with each other, but we can come together, join forces, and say we demand better from this government who claim to be standing for workers rights.”
Senator Payman said Labor made “dirty deals behind closed doors”.
“At least we’re coming up, in front of everyone, in front of all the cameras, and saying we are united on this,” she said.
“When Labor don’t do that, it’s called being pragmatic … but when we do it, we are under fire as ‘oh, you’ve made comments about each other in the past’.”
‘Punished’
Senator Payman accused the Prime Minister of wanting to “punish” her.
“He should not be allowed to play favouritism,” she said.
“There should be an independent process that guides resourcing when it comes to Parliament, not the whim of a petty man.”
Senator Payman said, as a senator for Western Australia, “we also have the furthest to travel”.
“I believe that it’s quite anti worker behaviour from the Prime Minister,” she said.
For her part, Senator Hanson said she had been “begging” Mr Albanese for adequate staffing.
“We are independent free thinkers that will not follow policy that is not right for this country and therefore he is punishing us for this,” she said.
“I’m not asking for any more than what the Greens have.”
Senator Hanson said she had just two personnel, while Angus Taylor had 35 and the Prime Minister 59.
“On top of that, the Labor Party has over 500,” she said.
“We have to have people that can help us investigate legislation.”
Ms Le said; “as an independent MP who serves one of the most diverse and disadvantaged communities in the country”, every staff members counts.
“When my constituents come to my office, it’s often because they have nowhere else to turn,” she said.
“I stand here today to ask for equitable allocation of resources so that I can do my job my community has elected me to do.
“Every Australians deserves the same standard of representation, no matter who they vote for or where they live.”
