TRANSCRIPT
Senator Fatima Payman has announced her resignation from the Labor Party.
“With a heavy heart but a clear conscience, I announce my resignation from the Australian Labor Party. I have informed the prime minister that effective immediately, I will sit on the crossbench to represent Western Australia.”
The Western Australian Senator will now move to the crossbench as an independent after she was indefinitely suspended from the party last week.
Her suspension came after she vowed to repeat a decision to cross the floor to vote in favour of a motion to recognise the state of Palestine.
Her initial crossing of the floor caused a furore within the Labor Party, raising questions and concerns about the age-old Labour rule of toeing the party line.
But, despite both internal and external backlash, Senator Payman told reporters on the day that it was her duty to stand up for what her constituents wanted.
“My decision to cross the floor was the most difficult decision I have had to make. And although each step I took across the Senate floor felt like a mile. I know I did not walk these steps by myself, and I know, I did not walk them alone. I walked with the West Australians who have stopped me in the streets and told me not to give up. I walked with the rank and file Labor Party members who told me we must do more. I've walked with the core values of the Labour Party, equality, justice, fairness, and advocacy for the voiceless, and the oppressed.”
Since being suspended, Ms Payman says she has been intimidated by other Labor politicians and encouraged to leave the party and stand down as a senator.
She also says she was encouraged by rank-and-file party members to try and influence Labor policy on Palestinian statehood and Israel's assault on Gaza from within.
The day before her resignation, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Question Time to expect further announcements on the matter soon, making allusions to a strategy at play.
“I expect further announcements in the coming days which will explain exactly what the strategy has been over now more than a month.”
Speaking to SBS however, Senator Payman says any claim she was planning this is false.
“It's absolutely false, it has no basis of truth to it - I have not been planning this as it was quoted in QT yesterday over a month. This all came about after I crossed the floor this week on Tuesday after a conscience vote”
Now, Senator Payman says she no longer believes she can use her position within the party to secure recognition for the state of Palestine.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister read a text from the Senator in parliament.
“A short while ago I received a message from Senator Payman, addressed to me. 'Thank you, dear Prime Minister, thank you for your leadership. It has been an honour and privilege to serve in the Australian Labor Party', and it went on to indicate her resignation as a member of the ALP.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton told reporters after the fact that the prospect of a minority Labour government including the Greens, Teals and what he referred to as "Muslim Independents" was not a good recipe to deal with the cost-of-living crisis.
“The Prime Minister, if he's in a minority government in the next term of Parliament, it will include the Greens, it'll include the Green Teals, it'll include Muslim candidates from Western Sydney, it will be a disaster. If you think the Albanese government is bad now, wait for it to be a minority government with the Greens, the Green Teals and Muslim independents. That is not the formula for bringing grocery prices down and for getting our economy back on track. Inflation will continue to rage under that sort of government and interest rates will go higher, as we're seeing the Reserve Bank warn at the moment.“
Western Australian Imam Syed Wadood Janud told reporters today that the Muslim community of Western Australia is proud of Senator Payman for standing up for the Palestinian people.
He says Senator Payman's moral stance should not be viewed as a political ploy.
“As the Imam of the largest mosque here in Perth, Western Australia, and the representative in the Muslim community here in Western Australia. We would like to recognize and acknowledge the bravery and fortitude that Senator Fatima, has shown in the last couple of weeks. At the same time, we want to make sure and get this message across that this is not about any political party, this is not about affiliation or leaning towards any political party, this is not about votes. And this should not be turned into something like that. This is about justice and standing for justice.”
Senator Payman has confirmed that, despite others suggesting otherwise, she will not be joining The Muslim Vote, a grassroots organisation which says it plans to endorse independents with pro-Palestinian stances in several Labor-held seats.
Despite Peter Dutton's vague warnings about Muslim Independent candidates, Senator Payman has told SBS News that her decisions are not being persuaded by religion.
“People on the ground are angry and this sentiment has reverberated through electorates through communities not just unique to the Muslim community. What Muslim vote matters or the Muslim vote, choose to do and choose to campaign on that's up to them. I have no affiliation with them. I have met with them on one occasion. Just like I've met with many communities.”
On top of that, Senator Payman has raised concerns about member of her former party suggesting she was "being guided by god".
She says that any focus being put on her appearance and religion is not only condescending but based on falsehoods.
“It's quite patronising and condescending to be stereotyped in a particular way because of my external appearances. And it definitely has no truth to it, essentially, where I represent the people of Western Australia. I always have that's been my priority. And I know that West Australians come from all forms of backgrounds, religions, identities, belief systems and opinions. And I think everyone has their right to be able to express that. It's bizarre that people are backgrounding things that are not true.”
