Rebel Senator Fatima Payman has hit back at Labor following her departure from the party, claiming it was “not serving” the interests of Western Australia and suggesting she may not side with the Albanese government’s future Senate agenda.
Ms Payman announced she was quitting Labor last week, putting an end to speculation over her future after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese indefinitely suspended the rebel Senator from caucus.
Prior to that, the Senator had drawn the ire of senior Labor leadership by crossing the floor to support a Greens motion which recognised the state of Palestine, before suggesting she would be willing to do so again regardless of any punishment imposed by the Prime Minister.
Labor members expressed disappointment with her decision to quit the party, while Senator Payman has also faced calls to exit parliament altogether given she was not elected as an independent.
However, speaking to the ABC on Monday, the Senator dismissed those calls as she expressed confidence her constituents continued to support her despite a turbulent few weeks.
“One of the first things I’m going to do is try going to every single town, visiting every west Aussie that I can think of and meet and have the opportunity to talk to find out what’s important to them,” she explained.
“To be their independent voice without any boundaries or restrictions of party rules and confinements.
“I’m really excited and I know that the overwhelming support that I have received from people on the ground indicate to me that they too are excited to have somebody who can be their independent voice in Canberra.”
Asked if she had a message for those who hoped she would remain in Labor, Senator Payman again stressed the importance of consultation, but also took a shot at her former colleagues for failing to stick with the values she felt were at the party’s core.
“Throughout this whole process, a lot of Western Australians have been reaching out to me wanting to share their experience, but also their thoughts and sentiments on the ground that the Australian Labor Party that they elected we’re not serving their best interests,” she claimed.
“They wanted to see values of justice, equality and freedom upheld, and they’re just not seeing that,” the Senator added, as she suggested residents would be better served by a candidate who actively listened and engaged with community concerns.
Senator Payman’s newfound freedom to fully champion those causes could yet spell more trouble for her former party, with the Albanese government now increasingly beholden to the crossbench in the Upper House in order to pass legislation.
While most observers had expected Senator Payman to side with the government, except on the issue of Palestine and the war in Gaza, the rebel Senator on Monday appeared to suggest she may be more selective than previously thought.
“It will depend on the bills that are brought forward,” she explained.
“I’ll have to see, have conversations, make sure that I have consultation on the ground with Western Australians and make sure that I’m representing their voice.”