Senator’s huge move after Albo’s ban
Written by admin on July 1, 2024
Rogue Labor senator Fatima Payman says she has been ‘exiled’ by the party after the Prime Minister suspended her indefinitely on Sunday and is considering her future.
She said she had “lost all contact with my caucus colleagues as a result”.
“Yesterday, the Prime Minister suspended me indefinitely from the Australian Labor Party caucus,” she said in a statement.
“Since then I have lost all contact with my caucus colleagues. I have been removed from caucus meetings, committees, internal group chats and whips bulletins.
”These actions lead me to believe that some members are attempting to intimidate me into resigning from the Senate,” she said on Facebook.
“As a result I will abstain from voting on Senate matters for the remainder of the week, unless a matter of conscience arises where I’ll uphold the true value and principles of the Labor Party,
“I will use this time to reflect on my future an the best way to represent the people of Western Australia.”
Senator Payman was suspended from caucus indefinitely on Sunday after she said she would cross the floor again to support Palestine, defying warnings from the Prime Minister and other senior government leaders.
The Albanese government supports the recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a peace process towards a two-state solution.
It had tried to amend the Greens’ motion to include that recognition should happen “as a part of a peace process in support of a two-state solution and a just and enduring peace”.
Senator Payman told reporters after she crossed the floor that she voted for the Greens’ motion because “we cannot believe in two-state solutions and only recognise one.”
“It was the most difficult decision I have had to make, and although each step I took across the Senate floor felt like a mile, I know I did not walk alone,” she said.
More to come
