The Australian Senate has descended into chaos after the leader of the right-wing One Nation party entered the chamber wearing a burqa. 

Pauline Hanson was seeking to introduce a bill that would ban full face coverings in Australia – a policy she has campaigned on for decades.

Just minutes after other lawmakers blocked her from introducing that bill, she returned wearing a black burqa and floral dress that cut off above the knee. 

The 71-year-old’s display was met by outrage from her fellow senators who branded it as ‘racist’.

However, Hanson refused to remove the burqa and Senate was suspended. 

It is the second time she has donned the Muslim clothing in parliament.

In 2017, she wore a full burqa in the Senate to highlight what she said were the security issues the garment posed, linking it to terror.

Hanson has also described Islam as ‘a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own’.

Pauline Hanson (pictured) wearing a burqa on the Senate floor on Monday afternoon

Pauline Hanson has been suspended from the Senate, after wearing a burqa in the chamber

Hanson had attempted to table a bill which would have banned burqas and full face coverings in Australia

Hanson’s latest stunt was condemned by Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi under parliamentary privilege.

‘This is a racist senator displaying blatant racism and Islamophobia, President, and someone should be pulling her up on that,’ Faruqi said.

‘It is you in the chair, you should be pulling her up on that.’ 

Faruqi said the decision by the Senate to suspend Hanson was ‘the right decision’, following the vote. 

Independent senator Fatima Payman, who wears a hijab, also expressed anger.

‘She is disrespecting a faith, she is disrespecting the Muslims out there, Muslim Australians. 

‘It’s absolutely unconstitutional. This needs to be dealt with immediately before we proceed.’

Foreign Minister Penny Wong joined the criticism, calling for respect and decency in the chamber.

‘I would say this to you … All of us in this place have a great privilege of coming into this chamber and we represent people of every faith, of all backgrounds, and we should do so decently,’ Wong said. 

‘And what we should not do in this place is to be disrespectful of the chamber and of people of faiths.’ 

Pauline Hanson (pictured) had attempted to table a motion calling for the burqa to be banned

Pauline Hanson (pictured) said she would continue in her efforts to ‘ban the burqa’ 

Pauline Hanson (pictured) was condemned by the Greens, Labor and Opposition for the stunt

Following heated debate, senators voted to suspend Hanson from the Senate, and she was ordered to return when she changed into ‘appropriate’ clothing. 

Hanson did not get to speak to or debate her motion.

The Senate was suspended shortly after Hanson was ordered to leave the chamber. 

Shortly after the incident, Hanson took to social media, reiterating her stance to ‘ban the burqa’. 

‘Today, the Senate blocked the introduction of my Bill to ban the burqa and other full face coverings in public places,’ she said. 

‘Despite the ban in 24 countries across the world (including Islamic countries), the hypocrites in our parliament have rejected my Bill.’ 

Hanson said she would continue to wear the burqa, until it was banned. 

‘So if the parliament won’t ban it, I will display this oppressive, radical, non-religious head garb that risk our national security and the ill treatment of women on the floor of our parliament so that every Australian knows what’s at stake.’ 

‘If they don’t want me wearing it – ban the burqa,’ Hanson said. 

Speaking to reporters after the suspension, Greens leader Larissa Waters said Hanson’s behaviour was an ‘abomination’. 

‘Senator Hanson’s stunt today doesn’t make anybody’s rent cheaper, doesn’t make anybody’s grocery bills cheaper, doesn’t make anybody’s life materially better,’  Waters said. 

‘All it does is make people of colour feel less safe in this country and that is an abomination and it is right that she is suspended’. 

Hanson previously did a similar stunt in 2017,  which was rebuked by then Attorney-General George Brandis, who denounced Hanson’s actions. 

‘To ridicule someone’s religious garments is appalling. We are a tolerant society, and we should respect people’s faith,’ Brandis said at the time.