Foreign Minister Penny Wong has warned Fatima Payman she must “abide by the decisions of the caucus”, after the rebel Senator crossed the floor to support a motion which recognised a Palestinian state.
On Tuesday, Senator Payman chose to vote with the Greens and two independents in favour of the motion, claiming afterward she felt was making “everyone proud” by standing up for her beliefs.
The act of defiance was immediately seized upon by the opposition, who argued it was “a challenge to Prime Minister Albanese’s leadership” given Labor members who had taken the same course of action previously had faced expulsion from the party.
While it initially appeared Senator Payman would escape any form of sanction, the Prime Minister on Wednesday revealed he had met with the rebel Senator and informed her should be barred from caucus for the rest of this session of Parliament.
That revelation drew yet more scrutiny, with Labor’s caucus scheduled to meet just once more before the end of session next Thursday, prompting suggestions the Prime Minister’s ban amounted to little more than a slap on the wrist.
However, speaking to Sky News Australia on Thursday, Senator Wong, who leads the government in the upper house, dismissed those claims, but stressed the incident had affected “trust” between Senator Payman and her colleagues.
“I can understand why colleagues are upset, I can understand how they feel because there is trust between colleagues as well,” she said.
“What I would say is that our expectation is that the Senator abide by the decisions of the caucus.
“On this occasion the Prime Minister has shown restraint. What I would say to my colleagues is I can understand why people are very upset about this.”
Responding to the suggestion Mr Albanese’s leniency could set a potentially harmful precedent, Senator Wong argued it was “very rare” for a Labor member not to respect caucus solidarity and that the party’s leadership believed the policy represented the most effective way of operating.
The Foreign Minister highlighted her own experience to back up the claim, pointing to the fact she voted against same sex marriage legislation when the current government was in opposition despite being an openly gay woman.
Explaining her reasoning, Senator Wong simply said she “believed in the power of the collective.”
While Senator Payman has not spoken publicly since her punishment was handed down on Wednesday, she appeared to signal a willingness to take similar action in future at a brief press conference following Tuesday’s vote.
“Each step I took across the Senate floor felt like a mile. I know I did not walk these steps by myself, and I know I did not walk them alone,” she said.
“I’ve walked with the West Australians who have stopped me in the streets and told me not to give up. I’ve walked with the rank and file Labor Party members who told me we must do more.”
The rebel Senator has also already been publicly chided by the Prime Minister for her outspoken support of Palestine and criticism of Israel, including over her use of the controversial phrase “from the river to the sea.”
Despite this, Senator Wong on Thursday refused to entertain questions over whether Mr Albanese’s “great restraint” would continue should Senator Payman continue to cross her party, saying only that her expectation was the Senator “observe the solidarity that all Labor people bring to their position.”