Senator Pauline Hanson earned the ire of colleagues for wearing the burqa during Senate question time. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "Senator Hanson, no, we will not be banning the burqa," he said, his voice shaking. "Senator Hanson, I'm not going to pretend to ignore the stunt that you have tried to pull today by arriving in the chamber dressed in burqa when we all know you are not an adherent to the Islamic faith. I caution you and counsel you Senator Hanson, with respect, to be very, very careful of the offence you may give to the religious sensibilities of other Australians. "We have about half a million Australians in this country of the Islamic faith and the vast majority of them are law-abiding, good Australians. "It is absolutely consistent to be a good law-abiding Australian and be a strict adherent Muslim.

Attorney-General George Brandis attacks Pauline Hanson for wearing the burqa in the Senate. Credit:Andrew Meares "Senator Hanson, for the last four years I've had responsibility... for national security policy. I can tell you, Senator Hanson, that it has been the advice of each director-general of security with whom I have worked, and each division of the Australian Federal Police with whom I have worked, that it is vital for their intelligence and law enforcement work that they work cooperatively with the Muslim community. "To ridicule that community, to drive it into a corner, to mock its religious garments, is an appalling thing to do." Labor senators give Attorney-General George Brandis an unprecedented standing ovation while his Coalition colleagues remain seated following his criticism of Pauline Hanson. Credit:Andrew Meares He was met with cheers and applause from Labor and Greens senators, while Coalition senators thumped their desks.

In an unprecedented display, Senator Brandis resumed his seat to find his opponents were on their feet, with every member of the Labor caucus, Greens senate bloc and, for a short moment, independent Senator Lucy Gichuhi, turning to applaud Senator Brandis. Senator Pauline Hanson pulls off the garment. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Government senators remained seated. Penny Wong, usually Senator Brandis's fiercest critic, was one of the biggest applauders. "I make this point on behalf of all of us on this side of the chamber: it is one thing to wear religious dress as a sincere act of faith, there is another to wear it as a stunt here in the chamber," she said.

Seeking to regain control, Senator Hanson asked another question. "If a person ... wears a balaclava or a helmet into a bank or any other building or on the floor of a court they must be removed," she said, as the applause for Senator Brandis continued. "Why isn't it the same for someone who is covering up their face and cannot be identified? Will the government make changes to the laws?" This time, Senator Brandis responded with a succinct "no" and fell back into his chair. Senator Hanson and her party colleague Brian Burston then left the chamber, while Labor senators shouted "good on you, George" and called Senator Hanson a disgrace.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale used his final question to praise Senator Brandis, with whom he is often locked in furious debate, for his "strong, impassioned, personal response". "On behalf of the Australian Greens I want to thank you for showing leadership in this chamber, leadership that is so often lacking in this Parliament," he said. Senate President Stephen Parry said he knew Senator Hanson's identity as she entered the Senate and, while there were rules around "inappropriate attire like pyjamas", he was "not going to dictate the standard of dress for senators in this chamber". "I believe senators should be making their own decisions about the standard of dress." After the stunt, Islamic Friendship Association of Australia spokesman Keysar Trad said he was not personally offended by Senator Hanson's stunt, but he predicted others would be.

"Some people will be hurt by what she's doing. Women who wear the burqa will feel hurt and will feel that they are under siege again," he said. "Why isn't Pauline Hanson supporting their right to dress as they choose?" Mr Trad was "very grateful" for Senator Brandis' immediate censure of the One Nation leader, saying it showed "true leadership". Islamic Council of Victoria vice president Adel Salman said the stunt was offensive, and "doesn't really help the debate". "The current discourse is really negative. It's about time [Senator Hanson] is ridiculed and her platform is ridiculed," he said.

Mr Salman also praised Senator Brandis' strong response. "I take my hat off to him, he gave a very impassioned, sincere, strong rebuke of Pauline Hanson," he said. Senator Hanson, whose party has been listed by the Trump administration as a threat to religious freedom, later told radio 2GB it was "absolute rubbish" to say she was mocking people's values. "When that faith stops at a religion and then becomes a political ideology, that is when I have problems with it," she said. "The burqa is not a religious requirement, [it] is a matter of controlling women, telling women what to do, how to live their lives and to cover up. Where are the feminists in this country, why are they not standing up for these women?"

Senator Hanson said she had found wearing the garment "a horrible feeling". "I felt just cut off from the rest of the world."

In 2014, Tony Abbott overturned a decision by then-Speaker Bronwyn Bishop and Senator Parry to isolate women wearing a burqa or niqab in glass enclosures from the public galleries. Follow us on Facebook