Payman retaliates over suspension from Labor as she considers future
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The news: Senator Fatima Payman has responded to her indefinite suspension from Labor by declaring she would not vote in Parliament this week, but implied she would make an exception to cross the floor over Gaza again.
The context: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese suspended Payman from caucus meetings indefinitely on Sunday, after the first-term senator told the ABC’s Insiders that she would continue to vote against the government over matters of conscience.
Payman crossed the floor to vote for a Greens motion to immediately recognise a Palestinian state on Tuesday evening, a move which typically sees Labor members expelled from the party. Albanese took a soft approach to the issue, initially barring Payman from a single caucus meeting this week.
But after a defiant Payman promised to repeat her actions, Albanese summoned her to the Lodge to inform her she was not welcome in caucus until she agreed to abide by its rules.
Payman remains a member of the Labor Party for now, but said in a statement on Monday she would “use this time to reflect on my future and the best way to represent the people of Western Australia”.
While Payman said she would abstain from voting this week, she did flag the prospect of again crossing the floor over the Gaza crisis.
What they said: “I have lost all contact with my caucus colleagues. I have been removed from caucus meetings, committees, internal groups chats, and whips bulletins … I have been exiled," Payman said.
"These actions lead me to believe that some members are attempting to intimidate me into resigning from the Senate.”
The source: Fatima Payman statement
