‘Exiled’ rebel senator on verge of split from Labor

Rogue senator Fatima Payman is on the brink of splitting with Labor after Anthony Albanese asked her to consider her position as an MP, deepening a political crisis and jeopardising the government’s legislative agenda.

A day after the prime minister summoned her to The Lodge to suspend her from Labor’s caucus, the 29-year-old claimed she had been intimidated by colleagues furious she had broken party convention by crossing the floor over the war in Gaza.

Banned indefinitely from Labor’s caucus meetings, she said she would not vote on any bills this week except on matters close to her heart, such as Palestinian recognition.

‘‘I have been exiled,’’ she said yesterday. ‘‘These actions lead me to believe that some members are attempting to intimidate me into resigning from the Senate. I will use this time to reflect on my future and the best way to represent the people of Western Australia.’’

Payman was elected in 2022 in the difficult-to-win third position on Labor’s WA Senate ticket, and The Age has confirmed with two sources, speaking anonymously to reveal private conversations, that the prime minister had said at The Lodge meeting she should think about whether it was appropriate to continue holding the seat if not representing the party’s line.

The furore over Payman’s exile has spiralled beyond her own political future, as a coalition of Muslim groups announced it would use the high-profile dispute to harness support for a ‘‘teal-style’’ strategy to eject Labor MPs from seats with large Arab populations.

Furious that Payman’s actions were distracting from this week’s rollout of the stage 3 tax cuts, Albanese and his ministers were openly critical of the inexperienced senator, who said she had been shunned by party colleagues – although Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek gave her a brief hug at the governor-general’s swearing-in.

Payman remained defiant the day after a bombshell interview on the ABC’s Insiders program in which she vowed to cross the floor again if the Greens put forward another motion recognising a Palestinian state.

Labor rules bind caucus members to the party’s collective decisions, and MPs who vote against those risk being thrown out.

Payman can serve out the remaining four years of her term whether she is representing Labor or joins the crossbench, just as Lidia Thorpe and David Van remain in parliament after quitting their parties.

If Payman were to quit the Senate, the WA Labor Party would be able to parachute in a new senator to replace the first-term backbencher, whose refusal to vote with the party forces the government to seek an extra crossbench vote to pass bills opposed by the Coalition.

The Payman controversy will have knock-on consequences at the next election.

A collective of Muslim activists is planning to unseat Labor MPs in metropolitan seats with large Arab populations, using ‘‘teal-style’’ tactics to find independent candidates.

There is speculation in Labor circles that Payman would work with the new grouping. She has not responded to requests for comment.

Several Labor MPs including Tony Burke, Jim Chalmers and Peter Khalil have encountered growing anger among Arab voters in their seats – sentiment that is fuelling a new political movement created by three groups that formed after October 7: Sydney group the Muslim Vote, Melbourne alliance Vote for Palestine and Australia-wide organisation Muslim Votes Matter.

Mahmud Hawila, a barrister and adviser to the collective, said former Labor and Liberal operatives had been recruited for strategy, door-knocking had begun and the groups planned to run candidates in seats such as Wills in Melbourne, and NSW’s Blaxland, Watson and Werriwa, and possibly others.

Hawila said: ‘‘The groups have all promised Senator Payman their unconditional support. The way the prime minister has treated her is disgusting.

‘‘What he’s done, unbeknown to him, is firmed up and consolidated support not just for Payman but the resolute conviction to get rid of Labor in these seats. People from Labor have defected and joined the movement, it’s become this massive machine that’s in full motion.’’

Earlier yesterday, Albanese expressed frustration with the media’s focus on his decision to suspend Payman. He told ABC News Radio that on the first day of a new financial year, ‘‘we want to talk about tax cuts’’.

The prime minister criticised Payman’s interview on Insiders, and said she had disrupted the government’s message ‘‘the day before the most significant assistance that has been given to working people in a very long period of time’’.

Albanese said the suspension decision was ‘‘not because of her support for a policy position that she’s advocated’’.