Senators Push Labor for Anti-Racism Rules

0:00Stay informed in two minutes or less with Sydney news today from the Daily News Now. Independent Senators Fatima Payman and Lydia Thorpe, along with Green Senator Marine Farouki, are pushing labor to update federal parliament rules to. Tackle over racism. They sent a letter to Senate President Sioux lines calling for a new inquiry and required anti-racism training for all politicians. The group says unchecked bigotry is damaging democracy and silencing voices. They point to past incidents like when one nation's Pauline Hansen wore a burka in the chamber last year as a stunt. The deputy president at the time let it continue for over 25 minutes before suspending proceedings. Hansen faced a censure and seven-day suspension later, but the Senators felt shut down when they tried raising points of order. These women of color say they feel belittled and isolated for speaking up, with double standards used against them. They argue this pattern treats them as irritants rather than equals, and it sends a bad message

1:01to young diverse leaders across Australia, discouraging them from public life. Earlier efforts for an inquiry fell through after the 2025 election, with labor and the coalition voting it down recently. Labor's Finance Minister Katie Gallagher admits Senator behavior has worsened, but questions if another inquiry fixes it. Existing bodies like the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service, handle workplace issues, meanwhile, recent cases show ongoing problems, such as the United Australia Senator refusing sanctions for offensive social media posts. The Senators want standing orders reviewed to end discrimination and ensure fair oversight in the chambers. A message from our sponsor supports today's story, do not just fall asleep, drift into what you are listening to, S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com.