Editorial: Stunt raises bigger issues

EDITORIAL: Oh Pauline, you’ve done it again. After the One Nation senator’s appearance on the floor of the Senate in a full burqa that would not be out of place in a Kabul marketplace, the great and the good lined up to denounce this latest stunt of Pauline Hanson.

One Nation senator Pauline Hanson putting on a burqa in her parliamentary office before entering the Senate chamber yesterday. Picture: Gary Ramage

OH Pauline, you’ve done it again. After the One Nation senator’s appearance on the floor of the Senate in a full burqa that would not be out of place in a Kabul marketplace, the great and the good lined up to denounce this latest stunt of Pauline Hanson.

But the fact Attorney-General George Brandis’s emotional ­denunciation of Hanson’s burqa act received a standing ovation from Labor and Greens senators suggests the outrage is more about political pointscoring than considering the issue she tried to have addressed.

The fact is, while Hanson’s stunt may have been over the top, she still has every right to ­express her concerns about the role of such full-face coverings in our community.

The Daily Telegraph cartoonist Warren Brown’s interpretation of Pauline Hanson’s burqa stunt.

Yes, it was gutsy and pressed the bounds of good taste but she certainly was not wrong to raise the issue, which is too often ­silenced for fear of the kneejerk responses of those looking to be offended on others’ behalf.

It’s worth noting that despite Brandis’s performance, Labor MP Anne Aly, a practising Muslim who doesn’t normally wear any religious garb, said after the event that she was not offended.

Furthermore, the idea that raising worries about the burqa, which has been banned by some countries including Italy, France and Belgium, might fan the flames of intolerance is not borne out by any evidence.

This sort of fretting does not give Australians credit for their acceptance of a wide variety of religiously and culturally mandated clothing, from Muslim ­hijabs to Indian saris to Jewish kippahs.

Islamic headwear has long been accepted by the broader community, and on those rare occasions when a bigoted attack occurs on a woman wearing a headscarf the nation is united in sympathy for the victim and condemnation of the assailant.

Where Hanson errs is in framing the burqa as an issue of terrorism and security when it is really one of female liberation.

While it is perhaps conceivable that someone might choose to wear such anonymising, identity-destroying clothing, Australians are understandably concerned that those who do wear the burqa might not be doing so of their own free will, and in any case reject the idea that ­people might obscure their face in such a way to cut themselves off from normal human interactions with other individuals and the community.

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NO PARTY FOR RATEPAYERS

IT’S the party of the year — if you’re in Clover Moore’s inner circle, that is.

If you’re just an ordinary ratepayer, you’re left with nothing but the bill.

As The Daily Telegraph ­reports today, despite claims that the budget for the lavish ­annual invite-only bash would be wound back (with the savings spent on fighting climate change, as you do) the Sydney Lord Mayor is planning on splurging another $600,000 on the knees-up.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore is renowned for throwing extravagant bashes. This New Year’s Eve carnivale in 2000 at the Opera House was before her time in office. Picture: Jamie Fawcett

The fortunate attendees will be treated to $150,000 worth of food and drink as they enjoy what documents tout as a “beach house chic mini festival within a festival”.

To keep the 2000 guests from having to rub shoulders with ­locals there will be a “fence line surrounding the party”, which will also enclose the music stage made from “upcycled wood”.

Naturally, not everyone is happy about the event, with councillor Linda Scott slamming spending so much money on a party for well-connected bigwigs. She is right when she says the council should be concerned with “investing in the public good, not a stream of ­exclusive, invite-only events”.