Fatima Payman claims she’s been ‘exiled’ and considering her future after caucus suspension

Fatima Payman claims she has been “exiled” and believes Labor members are working to “intimidate me into resigning” from the Senate following her suspension from caucus at the weekend.

The West Australian was suspended indefinitely after vowing to continue crossing the floor in support of Palestinian statehood.

On Monday, the rogue senator said she had been left out in the cold.

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“I have lost all contact with my caucus colleagues. I have been removed from caucus meetings, committees, internal group chats and whips bulletins,” Payman said.

“I have been told to avoid all chamber duties that require a vote including division, motions and matters of public interest.

“I have been exiled.”

Payman said sections of Labor are “attempting to intimidate me into resigning” from the Senate and said she will abstain from voting on senate matters for the remainder of the weeks “unless a matter of conscience arises”.

“I will use this time to reflect on my future and the best way to represent the people of WA,” she said.

The first-term senator gave a defiant interview on Sunday, declaring she had received overwhelming voter support for her stance on Palestine despite being given the cold shoulder by some colleagues.

It prompted an escalation from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who suspended the senator from the caucus indefinitely after she had previously been banned from a single meeting.

Labor Senator Fatima PaymanLabor Senator Fatima Payman
Labor senator Fatima Payman is refusing to back down on recognising Palestinian statehood. Credit: AAP

“By her own actions and statements, Senator Payman has placed herself outside the privilege that comes with participating in the federal parliamentary Labor Party caucus,” a government spokesperson said.

“If Senator Payman decides she will respect the caucus and her Labor colleagues she can return, but until then she is suspended from the right to participate in federal parliamentary Labor Party caucus meetings and processes.”

The WA senator crossed the floor on Tuesday to support a Greens motion supporting Palestinian statehood.

On Sunday she denied she would quit the party but vowed not to back down regardless of the consequences.

Crossing the floor is a no-go under internal rules, but there are no mandated sanctions for defiant MPs.

Although convention dictates a person is expelled from the party room, the decision is supposed to be made by caucus rather than a leader’s directive.

– With AAP

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