When Fatima Payman takes her seat in the Senate in July, she will make history as the first woman to wear a hijab in Australia\u2019s parliament.
The 27-year-old Muslim Australian, confirmed as Labor\u2019s newest senator from Western Australia on Monday, says she will wear it with pride.
\u201cI want to normalise hijab wearing,\u201d Payman tells Guardian Australia.
\u201cI hope to be an inspiration to many other young Australians, that just because you believe in God, or just because you look different, it shouldn\u2019t prevent you from being involved in such an important institution.
\u201cYou can\u2019t be what you can\u2019t see, and if that [parliament] is not reflective of the general Australian public then how can you have complete faith that they can hear your voice, and be your voice in power?\u201d
Payman is still pinching herself at being elected, describing her path to becoming an Australian senator as \u201ccompletely unreal\u201d.
She was just five years old when she fled Afghanistan with her family, seeking refuge from the Taliban who had targeted the family because her grandfather was a member of the Afghan parliament.
From Pakistan, her father, Abdul Wakil Payman, left by boat to come to Australia, \u201cseeking a better life for his children\u201d.
Three years later, Payman, her mother and her siblings joined him in Perth, where he worked three jobs \u2013 as a kitchen hand, a security guard and a taxi driver. Her mother ran a business providing driving lessons.
Payman said her father \u201cwould always talk about politics\u201d after dinner, hoping that one day she might return to Afghanistan to be elected to his homeland\u2019s parliament.
\u201cHe never conceptualised the idea that one day his daughter could be running in the Senate in Australia,\u201d she says.
After her father died of leukemia in 2018, Payman became politically active, joining the United Workers Union as an organiser.
\u201cWhen I joined the union I found that there were resources out there for workers to fight for better wages, pay and conditions that my dad didn\u2019t have the privilege of, or the understanding of,\u201d she says.
\u201cThinking of how hard he struggled for us and how much he sacrificed for us, I can\u2019t let his sacrifices go in vain and I really do want to advocate for workers like him who are really just trying to make ends meet and make a better life for their families.\u201d
Payman makes light of the fact that she will join the Senate at the same time as One Nation senator Pauline Hanson is reelected, who once wore a burqa in the Senate as part of a political stunt calling for a ban on the Muslim dress.
\u201cI would like to say I wish Pauline didn\u2019t do it because she has stolen my thunder, I could have been the first one,\u201d Payman says. \u201cBut that is OK, maybe I\u2019ll teach her how I wear my hijab.\u201d
While Payman is not bothered by the focus on the history-making moment of her Muslim headscarf, she says that her identity will always be \u201cAustralian first\u201d, saying she remains amazed at how quickly she adopted her new country after arriving as an eight-year-old.
\u201cYes, I am the first hijab-wearing woman in parliament, but it was my Labor values that carried me here,\u201d she says.
\u201cBefore I am Afghan, or a migrant or a Muslim, I am an Australian Labor senator, I do really want to emphasise that. I believe that everyone deserves a fair go in life despite where they came from and what they believe in, their sexual orientation, age or ability.\u201d
She says she \u201chas faith\u201d that the new Labor government will do more to improve the treatment of migrants and refugees in Australia and also for those in offshore detention. She also wants to bring a focus to cost-of-living concerns, childcare, climate change and other issues affecting young families.
\u201cI am really excited to get involved, learn as much as I can and start to make a difference, because that is exactly why I put my hand up in the first place,\u201d she says.
When the button was finally pushed by the Australian Electoral Commission on Monday, Payman says it was a \u201cvery emotional moment\u201d.
\u201cMy mum was bawling,\u201d she says. \u201cShe said \u2018you have fulfilled your dad\u2019s dream and I wish he was here to witness that, he would be so happy and proud of you\u2019.
\u201cThere was relief but also a massive sense of responsibility. There is a lot of work to be done. A lot of people are looking up to us as a government with hope for an inclusive and diverse government.
\u201cI honestly would do anything to know or see my dad\u2019s reaction. I know he would be so proud of me. He would feel that this has been an unreal journey.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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