Election 2025: Renegade ex-ALP senator Fatima Payman rakes in cash as campaign ramps up

Former ALP senator Fatima Payman has ramped up her new party’s fundraising drive with near-weekly ‘six-figure’ donation hauls.

Senator Fatima Payman pictured in February at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Martin Ollman

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Renegade former ALP senator Fatima Payman has ramped up her new party’s fundraising drive with near-weekly “six-figure” donation hauls as her Australia’s Voice political vehicle contests races in each mainland state.

The West Australian independent senator will fly to Brisbane on Thursday for yet another campaign event, telling The Aus­tralian that the financial support for her party had been “phenomenal”.

“It’s very humbling, the support has been phenomenal,” she said. “It’s not an exaggeration when we say that this (the donations) is unprecedented in the minor party world.

“Since our first campaign launch (in March), we’ve been raising close to six figures each week.

“It’s bizarre and wild, and that’s not including the amount we raised when the party was registered and first up and running.”

That launch brought in almost $150,000 in ticket sales or donations; about $400,000 has been raised in total, with the camp believing more will flow in before May 3, taking their haul past $500,000.

Senator Payman – who is not up for election – said it showed that voters were “sick and tired” of the major parties, with Australia’s Voice running Senate candidates in every state bar Tasmania.

“(Voters) want a real alternative, and they’ve seen that in Australia’s Voice, and they’re putting money where their mouth is,” she said, adding that the ground support and donations would help set the party up for campaigns well past May 3.

In March, Muslim community worker Mohamed El Masri resigned as the Greens’ Calwell candidate to lead Australia Voice’s Senate ticket in Victoria and Senator Payman said there was a “growing discontent” and “trend” against the major parties.

“Preference whisperer” Glenn Druery, the senator’s chief of staff, said in his 30 years working with minor parties he had “never seen” support or a financial haul like it, except when media personality Derryn Hinch successfully ran in 2016.

“It really is huge and in my view unprecedented for a minor party,” Mr Druery said.

Senator Payman at the Dandenong night markets in Melbourne.

Senator Payman has received invitations to address anti-ALP supporters in a handful of marginal seats, such as western Sydney’s Parramatta, where it’s anticipated an independent candidate backed by The Muslim Vote movement could emerge before Thursday’s deadline.

Senator Payman was pictured flipping burgers at the Dandenong night markets that hosted the Eid festival event in the Labor-held Victorian seat of Bruce last week, with the owner of the BBQ Meats stall saying she became the highlight of the event.

“She was greeted by scores of people who wanted to take photos and speak with her and her candidates,” Fawaz Saraya said.

“She came in with two of her Senate candidates and she was very popular. She spoke with members of the community and she came to our stall where she asked to flip some burgers.”

After crossing the floor on a Greens-led Palestine motion and subsequently leaving the ALP in mid-2024, Senator Payman conducted a WA-wide “listening tour” before establishing Australia’s Voice.

She was forced to apologise in February for attending a pro-Iran “propaganda” event after copping heavy backlash, declaring her comments at the event did not reflect the “realities” of women who suffered violence at the hands of the hard-line Islamist regime.

It came after The Australian revealed Senator Payman had encouraged Australian-Iranians sympathetic to the regime in Tehran to “lobby” politicians about Western propaganda on women’s rights.