By crossing the floor to vote for a Greens motion backing the recognition of a Palestinian state, Fatima Payman has exposed the tension between Labor’s traditional class-based, collectivist caucus rules and its embrace of modern identity politics and diversity.

Anthony Albanese says the 29-year-old rookie Muslim senator was elected only because of her place on Labor’s Western Australian Senate ticket, not because she represented those with a particular view of Middle East politics.