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Fatima Payman suspended indefinitely, future at Labour unclear

Theo

Important points
  • Senator Fatima Payman was suspended indefinitely after declaring her intention to switch parties again.
  • She said she was convinced that her decision of conscience on the issue of a Palestinian state supported the party’s views.
  • It is unclear whether Payman will stay with the ALP
Senator Fatima Payman was suspended indefinitely from the Labor caucus after she said she would repeatedly violate the party’s voting rules and switch sides on the issue of a Palestinian state.
Payman was appointed on Tuesday and voted for a motion by the Greens to recognize a Palestinian state.
According to internal rules, Labour MPs are not allowed to switch parties and vote against the party’s policy positions. Payman was initially suspended from the group for a week because of this step after a “firm but fair” phone call with the Prime Minister.
Although she faces the possibility of being fired, Payman told ABC’s Insiders program that she would do it again because she
“It depends on what is brought forward in the Senate … if recognition of the State of Palestine were to be brought forward tomorrow, I would switch sides,” she said Sunday morning.
“We are talking about 40,000 Palestinians who were massacred here,” she added.
“That’s why, as a backbench senator, I will do everything in my power to continue to advocate for a just and lasting solution. And I believe that’s what Australians want.”

The Senator from Western Australia was reportedly summoned to the box following the interview on Sunday afternoon and given an indefinite suspension unless Payman was prepared to “respect the party meeting”.

“Through her own actions and statements, Senator Payman is guilty of the privilege that comes with attending the Labor Party caucus meeting in the federal parliament,” a government spokesman said.
“If Payman decides that she will respect the caucus and her Labor colleagues, she may return, but until then, Senator Payman is suspended from the right to attend Labor caucus meetings and proceedings in the Federal Parliament.”
The senator was reportedly not expelled from the party during her first term, but her future is uncertain just hours after she said she had no desire to leave the caucus over the issue.

“No, I have no intention of doing so,” she told insiders before the meeting.

Payman believes she has adhered to Labour Party principles when taking office

Payman said she felt she had adhered to the “principles” of the Labor Party, a party “with a conscience” that stands up for human rights, “whether that be justice, the fight for freedom or equality.”
She said you cannot have the most diverse parliament without allowing for a “diversity of views”.
Payman acknowledged that the decision to switch sides had been met with a cold shoulder by his party colleagues, who remain divided over the vote, which failed by 42 votes to 13.
Israel has been bombing Gaza since the Hamas attack on October 7. According to the Israeli government, more than 1,200 people have been killed, including an estimated 30 children, and over 200 taken hostage. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, nearly 38,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, including more than 14,000 children.

The October 7 attack represented a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

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