With reporting by Zahra Al Hilaly.
To say that Senator Fatima Payman has had a big month is quite the understatement. Quitting the Labor Party in July, largely over the government's refusal to immediately recognise Palestine as a state; she is set to remain in the upper house as an independent senator.
Missing Perspectives sat down with the senator last week ahead of the upcoming sitting week in Canberra, where she opened up about her decision to step away from the ALP, the impact it has had on herself and loved ones, and how she continues to navigate her personal values of "advocating for justice and freedom and peace and equality" with a political career.
"The last two months have been an absolute rollercoaster ride, not just for me, but for my family, my husband in particular, and obviously my team members. It's felt like a relief coming out to the other side, but the buildup was immensely difficult," she tells Missing Perspectives.
Senator Fatima Payman. Photo: Missing Perspectives
"Just the sheer pressure of wanting to say my truth, to speak my truth, wanting to be able to face myself and know that what I'm doing, what I'm standing by and having a clear conscience. There was a genocide unfolding right before our eyes and all I could do was parrot the same party lines that was given to every member of the Labor Party.
"And on a federal level, it felt very suffocating that there are so many people from various communities, not just people who look like me, but all walks of life, wanting to see our government do more, wanting to see this once known progressive party that championed the rights of people from all faiths and backgrounds and you know took pride in themselves as big advocates for justice," she continues.
"We're all for sudden quiet on this genocide where we're seeing children being massacred on the daily, the indiscriminate killing, the bombings of hospitals and schools and cultural institutions that contributed to the longevity and identity of the Palestinians. I think I felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place."
The 29-year-old was only five when she fled Afghanistan with her family, seeking refuge from the Taliban. Elected to the Senate in 2022 for a six-year term representing Western Australia, she became the first woman to wear a hijab in Australia’s parliament. Making history can come with its own external pressures and expectations, especially in public life. The past couple of months have forced Payman to seriously contemplate what she stands for, and what direction she'd like to take her political career in.
"It wasn't until I crossed the floor where I felt that liberation, it felt so liberating to be able to speak the truth," she says.
Senator Fatima Payman. Photo: Missing Perspectives
"To fight for justice and to champion the same very values that I signed up for as a member of the Labor Party back in, you know, when I was a young kid... just a teenager trying to figure out and navigate the political system and all my involvement and engagement as young Labour President and a campaigner, a unionist.
"Those were the same very values that we stood for - advocating for justice and freedom and peace and equality. So now, know, looking back, it's almost been a month since I've become an independent senator. I'm loving it."
She acknowledges that being independent, and leaving the safety of a major party, has its challenges and "moments where I feel like there's a lot of things you've got to do on your own".
"It feels like you're running a small business from recruiting, to setting up your own website, to setting your own policy agenda. It definitely has been an eye -opening experience," she explains."When you put all that effort in, you never take that role for granted. And I think maybe as a major senator, I really missed out on that. I truly didn't understand what it meant to represent such a massive state like Western Australia in Canberra on a federal stage. It's super interesting."