Labor senator Fatima Payman vows to keep voting by ‘conscience’ on Israel-Palestine

Labor senator Fatima Payman insists the backlash from within the party over her decision to cross the floor on a vote for Palestinian statehood ‘won’t derail me’.

Labor senator Fatima Payman. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Labor senator Fatima Payman insists the backlash from within the party over her decision to cross the floor on a vote for Palestinian statehood “won’t derail me from continuing to vote with my conscience”, as Anthony Albanese refuses to say whether he sought her assurance she would vote with the party going forwards.

The 28-year-old Muslim senator broke with 130 years of Labor tradition on Tuesday night in voting against her party while refusing to tender her resignation, prompting calls for her immediate expulsion or a long-term suspension from the party.

But the Prime Minister instead barred Senator Payman from attending just one scheduled caucus meeting next week, drawing criticism from Labor stalwarts over his lack of stronger action.

Mr Albanese was asked by this masthead several times on Friday whether he had explicitly sought assurances from Senator Payman in his meeting with her this week, but did not confirm or deny he had made such a demand.

“We expect that people will participate in our caucus processes and comply with them. The important thing to note about this week is that Senate motions do not determine Australia’s foreign policy,” he said.

Asked a second time if he’d sought Senator Payman’s assurance, he said: “I’ve made my position clear to Senator Payman. I made clear to her that she won’t be attending the caucus for the rest of this session.”

Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Friday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Albanese and other Labor members, including Melbourne Jewish MP Josh Burns, have sought to turn the attention to the Greens and their efforts to “score political points” on the issue of Palestinian statehood.

“The leader of the Greens has made it clear he wants to keep testing Labor members’ loyalty and that tells you everything about what their intentions are,” he said. “It’s not to … bring peace to the Middle East but to try to play politics.”

While discussion within the party continues over Senator Payman’s future, The Weekend Australian understands the issue was not on the agenda of the national executive’s quarterly meeting on Friday.

Senator Payman, whose family fled Afghanistan for Perth when she was a child, did not rule out voting against Labor again on the Palestinian statehood issue.

“When I was crossing the floor, I crossed it knowing there was going to be the potential expulsion as a consequence but … it was for my conscience,” she told streaming Channel 6 News on Thursday night.

“There’s been a mixed response. Obviously the reception of me crossing the floor or my statement … has upset some colleagues of mine, it’s made some feel there’s been unfair judgment passed on.”

Senator Payman said she hoped she could convince her colleagues to “come on board” and support the Palestinian statehood cause as she had, and vowed to continue voting in line with her convictions.

“I still have my Labor Party values and people not being overly supportive or eager to jump on board won’t derail me from continuing to vote with my conscience but also advocating for this very important cause,” she said.

Responding to criticism from fellow Western Australian senator Louise Pratt that crossing the floor on a Senate motion would “not create peace in the Middle East”, Senator Payman said the “incremental step” she had taken was still significant.

She hosed down the possibility of defecting to the crossbench or joining a party such as the Greens.

“This wasn’t to appease the Greens … I haven’t had any discussions with (fellow senators such as) David Pocock, for example, it just so happened we entered the chamber together,” she said.