Australia's Voice? Senator Fatima Payman's new party launch flops
Payman’s party launch bombs amid renewed concerns about her eligibility to sit in Parliament with dual Afghan citizenship.
Senator Fatima Payman has faced harsh criticism following a 'car-crash' interview on ABC’s 7.30 program after launching her new political party, ‘Australia’s Voice’.
The party, announced at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday, comes three months after Payman’s departure from the Labor Party due to her anti-Israel stance on the Middle East conflict.
Train wreck interview for the leader of Australia’s new Islamist political party - Senator Fatima Payman struggles to simply denounce October 7 as a terrorist attack, instead mumbling “ummm well 75 years of Palestinian oppression but I guess violence is maybe bad sometimes” pic.twitter.com/XU1YhdSLe7
— Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇨🇾🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼 (@DrewPavlou) October 10, 2024
In a statement unveiling her new political movement, Payman described her vision for ‘Australia’s Voice’ as a platform for Australians who feel overlooked by mainstream politics.
— Mark Rowley (@MarkWRowley) October 9, 2024
“It is with great humility and deep responsibility that I announce the formation of Australia's Voice, a new political party for the disenfranchised,” she claimed at a press conference.
“We can no longer sit by while our voices are drowned out by the same old politics. It's time to stand up, to rise together and to take control of our future.”
However, Payman’s first television appearance to promote her party didn’t go as smoothly as planned. Interviewed by Sarah Ferguson, the 29-year-old senator was repeatedly pressed for details about her party's policies. Ferguson asked Payman multiple times to clarify what differentiated Australia’s Voice from established parties like Labor, the Coalition, and the Greens.
Fatima Payman wants you to believe that this is "Australia's Voice"
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) October 9, 2024
Hamas voice more like it pic.twitter.com/tPGqLH4zZr
"Those are adjectives but they're not specifics," Ferguson pointed out after Payman gave a vague explanation of her party’s direction. Payman struggled to name specific policy positions, especially when asked how her party would differ from the Greens, prompting Ferguson to insist, “Again, these are generalities. I'm asking for specifics.”
She spelled Jihadi’s Voice wrong https://t.co/GjCE2TusMS
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) October 9, 2024
Despite a complete lack of clarity, Payman assured viewers that her party would soon develop a detailed policy platform.
“In the days to come, we will begin to take more shape and formulate a very well-thought policy platform,” she said, adding that she hoped to return to the program once these were finalised.
Compounding the rocky interview, Payman is also facing renewed scrutiny over her eligibility to remain in the Senate. Despite becoming an Australian citizen in 2005, Payman has faced questions over her dual Afghan citizenship. In 2021, she reportedly attempted to renounce her Afghan citizenship, but ongoing conflict and the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan hindered the process.
Today, I have written to the Prime Minister concerning the citizenship status of Senator Payman.
— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) October 9, 2024
Under Section 44 of the Constitution, there are serious questions about her eligibility to serve as a senator due to her dual citizenship.
With Senator Payman's recent announcement… pic.twitter.com/mQIUmUBYvF
Pauline Hanson, leader of One Nation, has raised concerns about Payman’s citizenship status, questioning whether she is still eligible to sit in Parliament under section 44 of the Constitution, which prohibits dual citizens from being elected. In a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Hanson urged that Payman’s eligibility be addressed "transparently."
Hanson argued that the matter should be referred to the High Court, either voluntarily by Payman or by the Senate itself.
“The integrity of our electoral system is paramount,” Hanson stated. “I urge you to consider this matter seriously and take appropriate action to safeguard our constitutional framework.”
