Firebrand Fatima Payman rips into Anthony Albanese over budget and challenges him to a debate

Independent Senator Fatima Payman has accused Anthony Albanese of trying to fool Australians into thinking tax cuts were a good idea, and issued a challenge to him.

Exclusive: Independent Senator and Labor defector Fatima Payman has slammed the Albanese government’s budget as a “Band-Aid” solution void of meaningful change, as she challenged the prime minister to a debate on live television.

Hours after Labor treasurer Jim Chalmers tabled the federal budget on Tuesday night, the Australia’s Voice senator accused Anthony Albanese of trying to fool Australians into thinking tax cuts were a good idea, when the average person will only save $5 per week.

“As long as it sounds sexy, the Prime Minister thinks Australians won’t read between the lines, but we need to have real solutions, long term solutions,” she said in an exclusive interview with this masthead.

“He doesn’t care about the deficit and the net debt that Australians are going to be left with for the next three, four years, he’s only thinking about right now just so he can win the election.”

Referring to Mr Albanese’s promise to slash 20 per cent from HECS debts, she said university students in her WA electorate were asking why he’ll only reduce debts after the election, and not immediately.

Senator Fatima Payman has challenged the Prime Minister to a debate on live television. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

“He can do it now, 100 per cent,” she said. “They can make deals in the Senate to make sure that MPs who get defeated in the election secure a resettlement allowance of $120,000 and return flights from Canberra, but they’re not going to rush and make deals to benefit students who are actually deciding whether to buy themselves a meal or pay their rent.”

“I think Labor had a real chance if they had given that 20 per cent cut to students right now, they would have easily won that vote, they would have secured it in the bag, but they just seem so out of touch.”

Ms Payman was particularly angry about Mr Albanese’s comments about her in the House of Reps on Tuesday afternoon, while the parliamentary press gallery was in budget lockup. Fellow crossbencher Zali Steggall had asked the PM about his broken 2022 election promise to strengthen nature laws.

Mr Albanese said the legislation had passed through the House at the time, but stalled in the Senate because crossbenchers wanted a range of additions.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Picture: NewsWir/Martin Ollman

Responding to Ms Steggall’s question, he said: “When the legislation was eventually before the Senate, the crossbenchers – including Fatima Payman, who was elected as a Labor senator but ratted on the Labor Party to sit on the crossbench – made it clear that, having received under about 0.1 per cent of the vote, she would oppose that legislation, along with other crossbench members.”

Ms Payman said the PM didn’t call out anyone else out individually over the nature legislation, and accused him of failing to use his last two sitting days before estimates to talk about the cost of living crisis or housing.

“Instead, he’s talking about me. I mean, are we still on this? He hasn’t moved on? It’s like one of those bad breakups when you’ve moved on already,” she joked. “That’s what it feels like.”

She accused her former party of abandoning traditional Labor values and said she would like to debate Mr Albanese on the topic.

“If he’s going to say that I’ve ratted the Labor Party out, he needs to look in the mirror. I want to challenge him on national TV, even just for him to review the party platform and realise how many things he’s turned his back on the membership.”

Senator Payman equated the forthcoming election to Dumb and Dumber To, starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels.

Speaking about who might win the forthcoming election, Ms Payman said: “What’s that movie, Dumb and Dumber To? The best case scenario would be a minority government or a parliament hung where hopefully the crossbench, independents, or I guess the Greens would form a coalition, but it’s going to be tough.”

“I think the stronger the crossbench is, the stronger our democracy is going to be, and I think people are sick of the major party duopoly.”

However, she was very excited about her own election campaign and said she had been blown away by the amount of support she had received.

“We had a fundraiser in Victoria last week and raised $70,000 in one night, it was insane. When I say people on the ground are sick of the two major parties, I’m not kidding, because people are starting to put their money where their mouth is,” she said.

“The major parties have no idea what’s coming for them.”

Originally published as Firebrand Fatima Payman rips into Anthony Albanese over budget and challenges him to a debate