Fatima Payman announces decision to quit Labor Party
WA senator Fatima Payman has quit the Labor Party and will sit as an independent. Senator Payman was indefinitely suspended from Labor's Caucus on Sunday, after she broke ranks, backing a Greens motion on recognising Palestinian statehood. Since then, she's claimed she's been exiled from the party and intimidated by colleagues to resign. She's said today she's "deeply torn" but that she was left with no other choice.
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00:00I'm torn, deeply torn. On one hand, I have the immense support of the rank and file members,
00:13the unionists, the lifelong members, the party volunteers, who are calling on me to hang
00:22in there and to make change happen internally. On the other hand, I am pressured to conform,
00:34to caucus solidarity and toe the party line. I see no middle ground and my conscience leaves
00:42me no choice.