Payman laments ‘injustice’ as she slams door on Labor
A teary Fatima Payman has vowed to work through death threats and anger from Labor colleagues to push for Palestinian rights after she quit the party.
Senator Fatima Payman
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she had reached out to check on Senator Payman’s welfare and mentioned a parliamentary support service was in place to make complaints about any bullying allegations.
Labor members have also said they had tried to reach out to the West Australian to no avail.
Silent and expressionless, Senator Payman sat through part of question time on the crossbench on Thursday.
The senator then walked out of the chamber as Nationals frontbencher Bridget McKenzie was chastised by the Greens for her line of questioning.
“So much for the sisterhood,” Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young interjected.
Senator Payman has also been accused of making a political play after she admitted to meeting with a political strategist set up by a grassroots Muslim community group expected to target Labor seats.
The prime minister insinuated on Wednesday something had been in the works for over a month.
“It’s not true,” Senator Payman said, denying any affiliation or plans to join other political parties.
AAP
So much for the sisterhood!! What a stupid comment for Sarah Hanson Young to make. That infers that a woman can be wrong, can be evil, can do whatever, and should be backed as a matter of course. Such rubbish, as is this whole idea of ‘reaching out’, checking the welfare of this very tough woman, Fatima Payman, who knows exactly what she’s doing and isn’t the slightest bit interested in being pacified or supported by those who don’t give her what she demands. She has used the Labor Party. used her parliamentary position, used the WA people in her electorate, used all of them for her own personal and ideological purposes. She should be booted out of parliament.