First-term Labor senator Fatima Payman will be absent from caucus for the rest of parliament for a fortnight after crossing the chamber to vote in favor of a Greens motion recognizing Palestine’s statehood.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Question Time he had discussed the issue with the WA senator on Wednesday.
“I met with Senator Payman earlier today. She will not be attending the Labor caucus for the rest of this session,” he said.
It is not clear whether he had suspended her from the banquet hall or if she had agreed not to attend.
On Tuesday evening, the 29-year-old defied her colleagues to become the first Labor member to cross the floor in 18 years.
Although her action risked her being expelled from the ALP or suspended, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said early on Wednesday that none of these sanctions would be applied to Senator Payman.
‘This is a difficult issue. Fatima has made it clear that she continues to uphold her Labor values, that she wants to represent the people of WA in the Senate as a Labor Senator, as she was elected at the last election… There will be no evictions or other actions. These types of activities,” he told ABC on Wednesday morning.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) told Question Time that he had discussed the issue with WA Senator Fatima Payman on Wednesday
Senator Payman (pictured) will not attend the caucus for the rest of the parliament for two weeks
He said the government’s priority was to maintain social cohesion amid the “complexity and tragedy in the Middle East” and that Labour would not “expel people… because they hold certain views here”.
“That would not be in line with what we are trying to do in promoting social cohesion in this country,” he said.
Following the controversial vote, the Prime Minister’s office was also quick to quell speculation as there were no formal penalties for members who voted against the party.
“There is no mandatory sanction in these circumstances and previous caucus members have passed without being expelled,” a government spokesman said.
“As reflected in our amendment, the government supports the recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a peace process towards a two-state solution.”
On Tuesday evening, Fatima Payman (pictured right with crossbencher Senator David Pocock) defied her colleagues to become the first Labor member in 18 years to cross the floor.
Strict rules governing how Labor caucus members vote prevent MPs and senators from speaking except under exceptional circumstances involving matters of conscience.
It is now up to the Labor caucus to determine what, if any, sanctions will be imposed on Senator Payman; However, a decision to expel or suspend a member is ultimately a decision of the party’s national board.
Home Secretary Clare O’Neil said on Sunrise on Wednesday morning that Senator Payman has “expressed a position” and that the government is still focused on trying to broker a ceasefire and a two-state solution in the Middle East East.
“We are not going to solve the peace in the Middle East through motions from the Greens in the Senate,” she said.
“Our government is working through the right channels to get to where we all want to be here, and that is peace and ensuring that innocent people no longer die in a conflict in which they have no specific role.”
When asked what would happen to Senator Payman, Ms O’Neil said the party would “go through a process”.
It is now up to the Labor caucus to determine what, if any, sanctions will be imposed on Senator Payman (pictured); However, a decision to expel or suspend a member is ultimately a decision of the party’s national board
“We have a lot of people watching right now and seeing the news every night of innocent children dying in a conflict in which they have no specific role, for no good reason. that,” she said.
“I think Fatima Payman feels very strongly about these issues for very understandable reasons, and she has made her position known in the Senate.”
Liberal Party deputy leader Sussan Ley said the prime minister’s apparent decision not to expel opened the way for other members of the Labor Caucus to vote against Labor policies.
“Anthony Albanese has just shown such weak leadership since the October 7 attacks. Has Labor unilaterally changed its bipartisan position on a two-state solution?’ she told Sky News on Wednesday.
“And what the hell is happening here on the floor of the Senate? We have Labor senators on both sides of the debate.
After the vote, Senator Payman said she still cherishes the “core values of the Labor Party” and hoped to continue serving in the party.
“It’s basically a green light for Labor senators that if you have a strong opinion on an issue you can cross the floor.
‘So the shield of caucus solidarity is gone, and no one has spoken in Labor since 1986. It is clearly not the policy of the Labor Party.”
Senator Payman said after the vote that she still stands by the “core values of the Labor Party” and that she hopes to continue serving in the party.
“It was the hardest decision I have had to make, and although every step I took across the Senate floor felt like a mile, I know I was not walking alone,” she told reporters in Canberra.
Greens leader Adam Bandt praised Senator Payman and called on other Labor MPs and senators to follow suit.
“It is shameful that Liberal and Labor voted together to deny recognition of Palestine,” Bandt told ABC News Breakfast.
“Senator Payman bravely and courageously did the right thing. I think Senator Payman has now set the bar for other Labor MPs.
“If a young senator who has just completed his first term can step up and do the right thing, then other Labor MPs will have no excuses.”
However, the move was criticized by Alex Ryvchin, co-director of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. He demanded that the woman be held accountable for her actions.
“The fact that Senator Payman could no longer accept the administration’s position of supporting a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution is astonishing,” he said.