TRANSCRIPT
"If that is not racist, what is it?!"
The Senate erupting in a fiery race row as One Nation leader Pauline Hanson pursues Independent Fatima Payman alleging she may be ineligible to sit as a senator.
It comes one month after Senator Hanson was found guilty of breaching the Racial Discrimination Act.
But this morning's clash hinges on section 44 of the Constitution - which prohibits parliamentarians from holding citizenship in another country.
Senator Payman was born in Afghanistan.
She has previously made representations to renounce her possible citizenship - but the process has stalled since the Taliban takeover three years ago.
Senator Hanson claims that Ms Payman hasn't provided adequate supporting documentation, including correspondence with the Afghan embassy or confirmation of the steps she took to renounce her citizenship.
The One Nation senator sought to table documents relating to her campaign to have Payman investigated.
"Why is someone being treated totally different than every other senator in this place? These documents should be tabled so everyone can see what they state in them, which I think is very important. The people of Australia should know what is going on here."
Several parliamentarians have been forced to resign in recent years after discovering they held dual citizenship. Some have returned after renouncing the second country.
Senator Payman originally joined the Upper House as a Labor member, and, being aware of these issues, the party sought legal advice on her eligibility, endorsing her on that basis.
In a combative exchange, with the two senators seated just metres apart, Senator Payman attempted to pass that advice to Pauline Hanson.
Unsuccessfully.
Then she rattled off a list of Senator Hanson's previous comments on matters of race.
"Senator Hanson's quote, I challenge anyone to tell me one thing that I've said that is racist. And here I begin. There's a few, there's so many we could be here all day. She said, I believe we're in danger of being swamped by Asians. In her first speech. In 1998 policy speech, she says Aboriginality would no longer exist under her party's policies. In another statement, she says we're bringing in people from South Africa at the moment, there's a huge amount coming into Australia who have disease. They've got AIDS. If that is not racist, what is it?!"
Senator Hanson's insistence that she be allowed to table her dossier demanding an investigation into Senator Payman was later met, with Labor backing the motion.
Manager of Government Business in the Senate Katie Gallagher argued it was a procedural matter best dealt with quickly.
"Our view that it was appropriate that a member had sought to table documents, those documents could be tabled and we could move on. Now that does not mean in any way we support what Senator Hanson has been corresponding with the President of the Senate, but she does have a right to table information relating to that."
For their part the Greens opposed Senator Hanson's motion - drawing the senator's ire.
"So they are obstructing justice that this should be referred to a committee to be investigated if she is eligible to stand in this place. Why? Why are the Greens doing this?"]]
The Deputy Leader of that party has had her own battles with Senator Hanson recently -- in the Federal Court -- over social media comments which Senator Payman duly reprised.
"Somebody bring the dictionary, because Senator Hansen does not know the definition of racism. The fact that you would say just weeks ago to senator Faruqi, 'piss off back to Pakistan'. You are not just vindictive, mean, nasty, you bring disgrace to the human race "
Crossbench Senator Lidia Thorpe also got involved, throwing papers at the One Nation leader and flipping her middle finger over her shoulder as she stormed out of the Senate.
Afterwards, Senator Thorpe had this to say.
"What do they want? A civil war in this country, black and brown people against white people. Is that what you want? Labor? Because that's how we're feeling. We're going to rise from this and we're going to call out racism in the media, in the parliament, and we're not going to stop until we rid it. This is not the country we want."]]
These spectacular scenes in the Senate come just one day after the Australian Human Rights Commission released a report calling for sweeping legal reform to create a new anti-racism framework, and two days after Senators Thorpe and Faruqi threw their joint weight behind a motion on Monday to investigate racism within Australia's parliament.
Despite the backlash against her this morning, Senator Hanson refused to back down.
"I will stand my ground on this issue, and I don't believe it's right that anyone should be stopped. So I expect, I expect, and I will do this again, and I will do it again and again, but be prepared, because I will do it today.
