Fatima Payman suspended from Labor caucus over vow to cross the floor again on Palestine
WA Labor senator Fatima Payman has been indefinitely suspended from the Labor party’s parliamentary caucus after she was summoned to a meeting with the prime minister at the Lodge on Sunday.
Payman’s previous one-week caucus suspension was upgraded after a Sunday morning television interview in which she vowed she was prepared to repeat her rebellion of last week and cross the floor in the Senate to support recognition of a Palestinian state.
“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.
Payman’s defiance of both private and public warnings about needing to uphold the party’s rules and abide by its positions – after what was seen as a lenient penalty for a move that can attract expulsion – saw Anthony Albanese lose patience with the first-term senator from his own left faction.
“If Senator Payman decides she will respect the caucus and her Labor colleagues she can return, but until then Senator Payman is suspended from the right to participate in federal parliamentary Labor Party caucus meetings and processes,” the spokesperson said.
Payman has been contacted for comment.
On Sunday morning, Payman effectively dared the prime minister and her colleagues to expel her from the Labor party, vowing to cross the floor again if there is another Senate motion seeking to recognise a Palestinian state.
Payman has been resisting pressure to align her public campaign against the war in Gaza with her party’s position and told ABC TV’s Insiders program on Sunday that she would repeat last week’s rebellion if the circumstances arose again.
Related: Penny Wong confirms some in Labor caucus ‘upset’ Fatima Payman crossed the floor on Palestine
“It depends on what is brought forward in the Senate,” Payman said. “But if the same motion on recognising the state of Palestine was to be brought forward tomorrow, I would cross the floor.”
Her statements infuriated the Labor leadership, which had planned for Sunday’s political focus to be on the government’s cost-of-living measures which roll out from Monday, including tax cuts, energy rebates, a minimum wage rise and extra paid parental leave.
Payman said she understood that she had risked expulsion from the party.
The senator spoke after the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, warned that she only had the privilege of serving in parliament because of the Labor party and that caucus had the power to act against her.
“I cannot overemphasise enough how important all of us who are members of the team regard the obligations of being a member of the team in terms of the way in which we behave,” Marles told host David Speers.
But Payman doubled down. She said she respects Anthony Albanese and other senior colleagues, some of whom were urging her to abide by party rules, but said she would not retreat.
“Obviously the prime minister had a stern but fair conversation with me a few days ago and I understand that he’s got, you know, very important decisions to make as the leader of our nation,” she said.
She suggested the lives of Palestinians were worth the risk of greater reprimand. Payman also reiterated that she supported a two-state solution and that she believed Israel had a right to exist.
Payman acknowledged her stance had left her parliamentary colleagues “upset with me and frustrated”.
“I’ve received the cold shoulder,” she said. “But there has been an overwhelming majority who have stood up in solidarity doing their welfare checks.
“And I know there are caucus members who have advocated for this matter longer than I’ve been on this earth.”
She believed Australians supported her fight.
Related: Labor group praises Fatima Payman for upholding party ‘principles and policy’ to cross floor
“I know that Australians are fair people, and knowing about the Labor party, we are a party with a conscience and champions of human rights, whether that be justice, fighting for freedom or equality,” she said.
“So I believe that I’ve been abiding by those principles of the party.”
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, is not ruling out repeating the motion the Greens put to the Senate this week to recognise a Palestinian state, which saw Payman cross the floor in order to support.
Bandt said the Greens wanted to force the government to increase pressure on Israel to stop the war.
“There are a number of ways that we can push for peace in parliament,” he said on Sunday. “We’ll be having a discussion about what we’re going to do this week. But the priority for us is to get the government to act.”
Initially after last week’s vote, Marles indicated Payman was unlikely to face a penalty, suggesting the sensitivities around the Gaza war made this a special case.
But Albanese later announced she would be temporarily suspended from the parliamentary Labor caucus, meaning she could not attend this week’s caucus meeting.
That move prompted a backlash from some Labor MPs, who have in the past abided by party rules against crossing the floor, despite strongly opposing the party’s position on issues including same-sex marriage.
On Thursday, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong – who was among those who fought to change Labor’s stance on marriage laws but voted in 2008 against changing the laws in line with the party’s platform at the time – said Payman was expected to support the caucus position.
“On this occasion, the prime minister has shown restraint,” Wong told Sky News in relation to the penalty for Payman. “What I would say to my colleagues is, you know, I can understand why people are very upset [with her] about this.”
But on Sunday, Payman said she believed the wider party supported her and she did not intend to resign her membership.
“It took 10 years to legislate same-sex marriage. We’re talking about 40,000 Palestinians being massacred here. These people do not have 10 years.”
Last week, the Greens and the Coalition combined to reject a proposed government amendment to the motion’s wording that embraced a “two-state solution” and, if accepted, would have allowed all Labor senators to vote for the motion.
Bandt indicated the Greens could put forward legislation this week as an alternative to a motion. But if they were to choose a repeat motion, it appeared likely any similar amendment would be rejected again.
“This is really simple,” Bandt said. “The Australian government should join over 140 countries around the world that recognise Palestine. Just recognise Palestine. They haven’t put conditions on it and neither should Australia.”
The Greens leader declined to say whether Payman had been approached to join the Greens.
“I’m not going to talk about any confidential conversations,” he said.
