Fatima Payman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Payman in 2022 | |
| Leader of Australia's Voice | |
| Assumed office 9 October 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Senator for Western Australia | |
| Assumed office 1 July 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1995 (age 28–29) Kabul, Islamic State of Afghanistan |
| Citizenship |
|
| Political party | Australia's Voice (since 2024) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
| Signature |  |
Fatima Payman (Dari: فاطمه پیمان; born 1995) is an Australian politician who has served as a senator for Western Australia since 2022, first for the Labor Party and then as an independent, before launching her own political party − Australia's Voice − in October 2024.
Payman was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, migrating to Perth with her family in 2003. She attended the Australian Islamic College and studied pharmacy at the University of Western Australia. Payman was president of Young Labor WA and an organiser for the United Workers Union, before becoming an electorate officer for WA Labor politician Pierre Yang. At the 2022 Australian federal election, Payman was elected to the Australian Senate as a senator for Western Australia. She was the third-youngest member to have been elected to the Senate and the first Muslim member of parliament to wear a hijab.
In May and June 2024, Payman's statements in support of Palestine during the Israel–Hamas war and criticism of the Albanese government's response to the war brought her out of step with the rest of the government. On 25 June 2024, Payman crossed the floor to support an Australian Greens resolution to recognise a Palestinian state, leading to her being indefinitely suspended from the Labor caucus. On 4 July 2024, Payman quit the Labor Party to sit as an independent, and on 9 October 2024, Payman launched her own political party, Australia's Voice.