Pauline Hanson thinks she speaks for the mainstream but her burqa stunt shows she is a bit player with bad instincts | Tom McIlroy

"Nearly 30 years after she first entered politics with a firebrand maiden speech about Asian immigration, Pauline Hanson remains a committed fringe dweller, with narrow political interests and bad instincts. Suspended from the Senate on Tuesday, her decision to don a burqa in the chamber a day earlier badly disrupted proceedings and drew near universal condemnation. It is only the fifth time since 1901 that a seven-day suspension has been put in place, and the first time since 1979."

"Prompted by the refusal of Labor and the Coalition to entertain her latest push for a bill to ban face coverings in public, the stunt was a replay from 2017, and shows her political playbook is threadbare even when One Nation's parliamentary ranks are at a record high and the party's primary vote is polling at nearly 20%. Voters don't want religious or racial division in their national parliament."

"Hanson claims to be the champion of real world voters hit hard by the cost-of-living, but has missed at least 10 days of parliament since the election, including to attend political events at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Instead of interrogating Labor's policies, she often skips Senate estimates and the other lower profile responsibilities of parliamentarians. At a time when voters have legitimate concerns about the rate of overseas migration into Australia, Hanson sidelines herself through stunts and an entrenched victim mentality."

Pauline Hanson was suspended seven days from the Senate after wearing a burqa in the chamber, an action that disrupted proceedings and drew near-universal condemnation. The suspension was the fifth seven-day penalty since 1901 and the first since 1979. The stunt replayed a 2017 act and followed failed attempts to push a bill banning public face coverings. One Nation's parliamentary ranks are high and the party polls near 20 percent, yet Hanson focuses on divisive cultural issues, misses parliamentary sittings including events at Mar-a-Lago, skips estimates, and sidelines herself with stunts and a victim mentality while migration concerns remain prominent.

Read at www.theguardian.com