Suspended senator Fatima Payman has accused some of her Labor colleagues of trying to intimidate her into resigning from the upper house and says she is considering her future in federal parliament.
In her first public statement since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese indefinitely suspended her from the Labor Party for threatening to cross the floor again on a vote on recognising a Palestinian state, Payman said she had been “exiled”.
“I have lost all contact with my caucus colleagues,” she said this afternoon.
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“I have been removed from caucus meetings, committees, internal group chats, and whips bulletins.
“I have been told to avoid all chamber duties that require a vote including divisions, motions and matters of public interest.
“I have been exiled.
“These actions lead me to believe that some members are attempting to intimidate me into resigning from the Senate.”
Payman said she won’t vote on any legislation for the rest of the week as she considers her future.
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“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 values and principles of the Labor Party,” she said.
“I will use this time to reflect on my future and the best way to represent the people of Western Australia.”
The first-time senator’s statement comes amid speculation she could leave the Labor Party and stay in parliament as an independent, move to the Greens or form her own political party.
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“If that doesn’t tell me somebody ready to set up her own career and walk out on the Labor Party, I don’t know what does,” fellow senator Jacqui Lambie said earlier today.
Both Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have publicly called on Payman to do a u-turn and promise to support all Labor decisions, saying the party is most effective when it is united.
“I believe that in the Labor Party, we make much more progress and get much more done when we act collectively rather than individually,” Chalmers said.
Payman was first suspended from Labor’s caucus for a week after voting against the government on a motion put forward by the Greens to recognise Palestine as a state last Tuesday.
The suspension was made indefinite after doubling down on her position on the ABC’s Insiders yesterday.
“If the same motion on recognising the state of Palestine was to be brought forward tomorrow, I would cross the floor,” Payman said.Insiders today.
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