One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson has revived her call to ban burqas and other face coverings in public, citing national security and women’s rights concerns.
Hanson first made headlines in 2017 when she entered the Senate chamber wearing a black burqa to highlight her proposed ban, prompting sharp rebukes from then-Attorney-General George Brandis.
“Senator Hanson, no, we will not be banning the burqa,” Brandis told the chamber, warning her against offending Muslim Australians. The stunt drew applause from opposition parties and crossbench senators.
Eight years later, Hanson says her push is backed by international precedent. “More than 20 countries now have bans in place after France first broke ground with such laws in 2011,” she said in a statement.
“It’s time that Australia got on board and followed the lead of these countries, especially considering we are facing increasing security threats from political Islam and increased violence on our streets by masked thugs and extremists.”
Hanson linked the garments to alleged “security threats and increased violence on our streets by masked thugs and extremists” and claimed burqas are “a mechanism for these women to be controlled by men from their families or religion.”
Hanson argued that the garments conflict with “Australian culture, law and values, and basic women’s rights,” adding that the Albanese government’s repatriation of extremists and support for Gazans linked to Hamas makes a ban “all the more urgent.” She also called for harsher penalties for crimes committed while wearing masks.
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