EXCLUSIVE
A pole dancer turned One Nation candidate has challenged rogue senator Fatima Payman over her Afghan citizenship after she had to renounce her own Italian nationality to stand as a candidate in the federal election.
Bianca Colecchia, who represents Pauline Hanson’s party in the Victorian seat of Bruce, was born and raised in the small, rural Italian town of Sant’Eusanio del Sangro.
She moved to Australia in 2016 with just $1,000 and couldn’t speak a word of English, she said.
But since then she said Australia has changed her life – and she has now turned her back on her Italian heritage to now run for parliament with One Nation.
But she is outraged that former Labor senator Payman has managed to avoid criticism of her Afghan citizenship.
“Senator Payman’s citizenship situation is of particular concern,” Ms. Colecchia wrote in a recent blog post on the One nation website.
‘Despite the fact that there is still clear knowledge of her Afghan citizenship, nothing has been done.
“And while she continues to claim that she has taken ‘all reasonable steps,’ she has yet to provide such documentation.”
Bianca Colecchia (left), who represents Pauline Hanson’s party in the Victorian federal seat of Bruce, was born and raised in the small rural Italian town of Sant’Eusanio’ del Sangro before moving to Australia in 2016 without a word of English and alone $1,000, she is pictured with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (right)
Ms Colecchia said she was “concerned about the direction our country has taken” and has therefore decided to run for parliament
She added: “In order to qualify and comply with Section 44 of the Australian Constitution, I have renounced my Italian citizenship.
‘It was probably one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made, and it was obviously a choice I made with some sadness, but also with enormous pride.
“It was not a rejection of my roots, but a testament to my commitment and complete loyalty to Australia.”
Section 44c of the Australian Constitution prevents anyone who holds citizenship of another country from sitting in parliament.
Senator Hanson has campaigned against Senator Payman, who left Labor last year over his position on Gaza to run as an independent, questioning whether her Afghan citizenship disqualifies her from serving in parliament.
The situation exploded in November when Senator Payman unleashed a vicious parliamentary attack, accusing the One Nation leader of racism and claiming she was a ‘disgrace to humanity’.
Senator Payman was born in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, but was granted Australian citizenship in 2005.
However, this did not automatically lead to the revocation of her Afghan citizenship, raising questions about her suitability to serve in the Senate.
Senator Payman claims she contacted the Afghan embassy in Australia in October 2021 to renounce her Afghan citizenship, but they were unable to do so because they had no relationship with the new Taliban government.
Senator Payman (pictured) was born in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, but was granted Australian citizenship in 2005
Ms Colecchia (pictured) secured a five-month internship with One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts in February last year, where she worked at the heart of government
Nevertheless, Senator Payman received legal advice from the Labor Party that she had taken ‘all reasonable steps’ to revoke her foreign citizenship and was eligible to do so.
But Senator Hanson has demanded she provide documentation to prove this, with her new election weapon in Victoria reflecting these calls.
Ms Colecchia pointed out that politicians from all sides have been caught by Section 44, including then Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Federal Labor Minister Katy Gallagher.
“Yet Senator Hanson was subjected to an abhorrent display of abuse by Senator Payman, who accused her of being racist during a legislative session for simply raising an issue that has nothing to do with race and everything to do with our Constitution has to do,” she said. Colecchia added.
“Let’s be clear: Senator Hanson played no role in drafting the Constitution; she is just trying to uphold it so that the integrity of the institution can be preserved.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Senator Payman for comment.
Ms Colecchia spoke proudly in the blog post about the impact Australia had on her life and the opportunities the country had offered her.
“This country has given me so much, and it gave me the opportunity to turn my life around,” Ms. Colecchia admitted in her article.
‘So I learned the language, I worked hard and embraced the Australian way of life. Today I am incredibly grateful to call Australia my home.
Ms. Colecchia is a big fan of US President-elect Donald Trump
Performing well in the polls: Ms. Colecchia competed in beauty pageants in her native Italy and her past social media feeds include photos from vacations in luxury locations and clips of her pole dancing
“For me it has been a privilege to become an Australian citizen, but also a commitment to this country and its future.”
But Ms Colecchia said she was “concerned about the direction our country has taken” and has therefore decided to run for parliament.
Ms Colecchia previously competed in beauty pageants in her native Italy and her previous social media feeds included photos from holidays in luxury locations and clips of her pole dancing.
But that all changed after she joined the One Nation party in February 2023.
A month later, she set up a podcast called A Conservative Voice, where she regularly railed against topics such as ‘trans ideology’ and former Victorian Prime Minister Dan Andrews, while labeling the Voice to Parliament as ‘racist’.
The big Donald Trump fan was given a five-month internship with One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts in February last year, where she worked at the heart of government.
Ms Colecchia, who last month completed a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, International Relations and Sociology from the University of Melbourne, is expected to take up the federal seat of Bruce in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.
The Labor Party won the seat with more than 40 percent of the vote, while the One Nation candidate finished in last place with just under five percent of the vote.
Daily Mail Australia approached Ms Colecchia for comment.