A series of social media posts from Fatima Payman’s secret accounts – and those of her family – have shed light on the controversial senator’s views, while Anthony Albanese launched his most bitter attack yet on the defecting Labor party.
Private messages provided to Daily Mail Australia reveal how Ms Payman rose from a dedicated student who led the University of Western Australia Muslim Students Association to a senator in just four years.
The posts the 29-year-old politician makes on his non-public social media pages are full of inspirational quotes about leadership, being yourself and carpe diem – seizing the day.
But another controversial post – in which a family member calls Israel a terrorist organisation – also shows the pressure she may have been under to take action in the war in Gaza.
The recently independent senator from Western Australia announced her resignation at a press conference in Parliament House on Thursday, citing irresolvable tensions within the Labor Party.
She accused the Labour Party of failing to take a position on the situation between Israel and Palestine and the 38,000 people who have died in Gaza since the situation escalated after a surprise attack by the extremist group Hamas last year.
“It is with a heavy heart, but a clear conscience, that I have announced my resignation from the Australian Labor Party,” she said.
“My family did not flee a war-torn country to come here as refugees so that I would remain silent when I saw atrocities being inflicted on innocent people.”
Fatima Payman (pictured) resigned from the Labor Party on Thursday, citing irresolvable tensions
Fatima Payman is pictured on her wedding day. She married WA state policy advisor Jacob Stokes
Three of the private messages seen by Daily Mail Australia were inspirational quotes.
One of the quotes is from Poor Things actress Emma Stone: ‘I can’t imagine a better representation of beauty than someone who isn’t afraid to be themselves.’
Another account included the popular Latin phrase carpe diem, which loosely translates as “seize the day.”
Another quote was from author Tom Peters, who said, “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.”
However, another post made on her cousin’s Facebook page,atered the Star of David with a large black cross through it. It said: “Israel is not a nation, but a criminal terrorist organization.”
There is no suggestion that Ms Payman shares that view. Daily Mail Australia has contacted her for comment.
Ms Payman’s family were refugees who fled from Taliban-occupied Afghanistan to Pakistan. They joined other relatives in Perth in 2003, when she was about eight years old.
Senator Payman is pictured walking to her press conference on Thursday afternoon
Pictured: An extremist anti-Israel post by Senator Payman’s cousin on the Facebook page
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday strongly criticised Senator Payman’s decision to leave Labor and warned parties “not to go the way of religious political parties” as this undermines social cohesion.
On Thursday, the senator was forced to reject suggestions that she would join a local Muslim group, telling reporters that she had also met with the Jewish Council of Australia and Christian groups.
Mr Albanese said: ‘My party has around the cabinet and ministerial tables people who are Catholic, people who are members of the United Church, people who are Muslim, people who are Jewish.’
‘That’s the way we do politics in Australia, that’s the way you create cohesion.
‘And it also seems more than clear to me that it is not in the interests of smaller minority groups to isolate themselves, which is what a faith-based party system would do.’
He then focused on her 1,600 votes in the Western Australian election, while the ALP received 511,000 votes above the cut-off mark, meaning the state voted for the party instead of Senator Payman.
“It is very clear that Fatima Payman is in the Senate because the people of Western Australia wanted a Labor government,” he said.
Fatima Payman’s (pictured) immediate family fled Afghanistan to Pakistan in the 1990s before arriving in Perth as refugees in 2003
‘That’s why they put a number one in the box above the line next to Australian Labor Party, rather than voting for a particular individual below the line.’
Mr Albanese added that he was disappointed with her decision to leave, saying she had not raised issues about the Middle East or “anything else about Western Australia” in the party before defecting.
Ms Payman was elected to a six-year term in 2022 in a landslide Labor victory in Western Australia. She will serve the remaining four years as an independent.
Mr Albanese reportedly told Ms Payman in private that she had been elected on the Labour Party platform and that she should leave the Senate altogether so that the government could re-nominate someone from within to the Senate position.
This follows tweets from her husband Jacob Stokes earlier this year, in which he wrote: ‘I think the worst thing that can happen to her is her resignation.
‘Changing the government’s position on foreign policy does not happen overnight.
‘She must work her way up and recruit more Muslims into the party and the government.
‘THAT’s how we get representation.’ Mr Stokes’ profile has now been made private after his tweets were published. He is said to have links to WA state Labor.’
Premier Anthony Albanese is pictured during a press conference in Queanbeyan on Friday
Her husband later emerged as working for the Labor government in Western Australia and leading its 2022 election campaign. It is unclear whether he will retain his role in state politics.
Mr Albanese indicated on Question Time this week that he believes Ms Payman had been planning to leave the party for a month.
She told the ABC that this is not the case and said she believes the party said this because they are angry with her.
Ms Payman had not been seen in the Senate since Monday before her resignation, after she announced she would abstain from voting on matters except “matters of conscience”.
“I was banished,” she said at the time.
‘I have lost all contact with my caucus colleagues. I have been removed from caucus meetings, committees, internal group discussions and whips bulletins.
“These actions lead me to believe that some members are attempting to intimidate me into resigning from the Senate.”