Senator for Western Australia, Fatima Payman, accused Anthony Albanese of being petty after she resigned from the Labor Party on Thursday. She noted that many of her colleagues feel disenfranchised and let down by the government.
Payman cited her concerns about the situation of Palestinians in Gaza as the reason for her decision to leave the party.
She said she would not engage in a public feud with the Prime Minister.
This week, Mr Albanese claimed that the voters of Western Australia voted for his party instead of Senator Payman, whose total vote in the 2022 election was around 1600.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Senator Payman said she was not going to engage in petty back and forth with Mr Albanese.
She also noted that she was not the only one feeling dissatisfied with Labor.
Despite the voters’ decision to support the Labor Party, Senator Payman stated that she felt that the party had strayed away from its values.
She also paid tribute to her husband, Jacob Stokes, and said that the people of Western Australia voted for change in 2022.
The voters of Western Australia voted for change because they believed that the Labor Party had strayed away from its core values.
According to Senator Payman, many of her colleagues who were disappointed with the party’s stance on Palestine have already resigned from it.
She also dismissed the idea that she would start a new party to cater to the Muslim community’s needs.
Although she left the possibility of forming a political party of her own, Senator Payman stated that she would not be establishing a Muslim party.
She noted that she would still represent the people of Western Australia regardless of their backgrounds.
Senator Payman warned Mr Albanese that the Muslim community in Western Australia might vote against the government.
She said that the anger of the people had been resounding across various communities, especially due to the way the government handled Palestine.
The people of Western Australia would also likely mobilise around this issue, according to Senator Payman.
Her decision to leave the Labor Party was triggered by her vote on June 25 to recognize a Palestinian state.
She stated that she was appalled by the way the government had handled Palestine.
Senator Payman stated that it was important to speak out against both sides of the conflict as it was killing innocent people, indiscriminately.
Mr Albanese then banned her from attending the next week’s caucus meetings.
After she told the media that she would support a motion opposing the government’s decision to recognize Palestine, the Prime Minister then banned her from caucus. Senator Payman then resigned from the Labor Party on Thursday. She will continue to serve as an independent senator for the remaining four years. However, she noted that she would not align herself with any group or party in the Senate.