Key Points
- The Greens will move to censure Senator Hanson for telling Senator Faruqi to "p--- off back to Pakistan".
- Senator Faruqi is also considering a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission over the tweet.
This story contains strong language.
The Greens will move in the Senate to censure Pauline Hanson, and Senator Mehreen Faruqi is considering a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), after the One Nation leader told her to "p--- off back to Pakistan".
Senator Faruqi - who is the deputy Greens leader - said she has received abuse on social media, along with emails and calls, following a tweet from Senator Hanson that .
Last Friday, the Pakistan-born senator offered her condolences to the late Queen, but said she couldn't "mourn the leader of a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples".
"We are reminded of the urgency of Treaty with First Nations, justice & reparations for British colonies & becoming a republic," she wrote on Twitter.
That prompted a response from the One Nation leader, who told Senator Faruqi to "p--- off back to Pakistan".
"When you immigrated to Australia you took every advantage of this country. You took citizenship, bought multiple homes, and a job in a parliament. It’s clear you're not happy, so pack your bags and p--- off back to Pakistan," Senator Hanson wrote on Twitter.
The exchange drew mixed reactions from social media users, with some backing Senator Hanson, while others supported Senator Faruqi.
As first reported by the Guardian on Thursday, Senator Faruqi is considering lodging a complaint with the AHRC or the parliamentary workplace support system over Senator Hanson's tweet.
The AHRC is an independent body that investigates complaints about discrimination and human rights breaches.
The Greens will also move in the Senate to censure Senator Hanson when parliament sits on 26 September for telling Senator Faruqi to "p--- off back to Pakistan".
"People who look like me have all been told to go back to where they come from at one point or another. I've copped it more times than I can count, but the hurt and sorrow it causes never lessens," Senator Faruqi told SBS News.
"The kind of racist hate fuelled by these comments cannot go unaddressed. The community, particularly migrants of colour, need to see parliament strongly condemn Senator Hanson without delay."
Senator Faruqi's office shared examples of comments they say she has received in the wake of Senator Hanson's tweet, such as saying she was part of a group of "un-Australian trolls" and "enemy of our country".
The senator said she "won't be silenced and neither will the millions of others around the world affected by the brutal reality of colonisation".
"Of course there's going to be disagreement about the Queen’s legacy in the wake of her passing, but there’s never an excuse for attacking someone for who they are," she said.
In a statement on Thursday, Senator Hanson said a "threat" from the Greens to "take her before the AHRC" was "straight out of the woke rulebook".
"We've seen this happen before. Somebody gets called out for doing or saying something highly offensive and they go crying to a human rights court pretending they're a victim. The hypocrisy is astounding," she said.
"This screams entitlement and privilege with no responsibility, which is something the Australian Greens embody.
"They've insulted the memory of Queen Elizabeth II, a woman many Australians held in the highest regard, within hours of her death."
Federal parliament, which was due to sit this week in Canberra, has been suspended following the death of the Queen. It will now reconvene on Friday 22 September for condolence motions before three additional sitting days from 26 September.
"No decent workplace would tolerate such brazen discrimination against a colleague. The Jenkins review showed us how toxic and unsafe Parliament can be," Senator Faruqi said.
"If parliament is to be a safe workplace, we need to send a clear message that this hostility to migrants and people of colour will not be tolerated."
She called on the Labor government to support the motion "if [it] is serious about setting a high standard of behaviour from parliamentarians", along with Tasmanian Senator Jacquie Lambie, .
Senator Lambie initially threw her weight behind the One Nations leader on Saturday, tweeting: "Pauline right on the mark!!!"
Senator Lambie has since clarified she does not excuse Senator Hanson's language but agreed with the "pretty disgraceful" attitude of Senator Faruqi.
"I don't agree with all of Pauline's tweet, or the language she used, but I do agree that the attitude on show here is pretty disgraceful," she wrote in a statement on Monday.
Senator Lambie said it is "just wrong" that Senator Faruqi is inferring anyone who pays their respects to the Queen is a racist.
"Even if it's true that we're only in a position to offer those opportunities because of our past, it's hugely offensive to say that it's the fault of the Queen that our history is what it is," she said.
"A day after she died and the deputy leader of Australia's third largest political party is saying that not only is the Queen's death something that's impossible to mourn, but by extension, anybody who does so is a racist? That's just wrong.
"We're talking about the death of a human being with a family, who was loved, who served her country with dignity."
Senator Faruqi on Thursday said it was "disgusting" to see Senator Lambie offer her support to Senator Hanson before "misrepresenting" her words to "try and wriggle out of it".
"This censure motion is Senator Lambie's chance to straighten herself out," she said.
Senator Lambie has been contacted for comment.
