'Drink wine and dance on table': Australian Senator Fatima Payman calls out senior male colleague's remark

Australian senator Fatima Payman has formally complained that an "old male parliamentary colleague" asked her to drink alcohol and dance on the table during an official function.

ABC News’s Triple J Hack program first reported the news, quoting Payman as saying the colleague said, “let’s get some wine into you and see you dance on the table.” Payman, who is a Muslim and does not drink alcohol, viewed the comment as sexually suggestive and culturally offensive.

She said that the incident took place at a work-related event where the male colleague "had had too many drinks." “I don’t drink and I don’t need to be made … to feel left out because you do,” she said. She added that she drew a clear boundary at the time, telling the colleague, “Hey, I’m drawing a line, mate.”

"Being clear is being kind. You actually are helping somebody understand what your boundaries are by speaking up," she added. Payman further proceeded to file a formal complaint through the parliamentary workplace support service.

She has since spoken positively about the way the PWSS handled her report. “Being looked after and taken care of by the parliamentary workplace supports service was really, really good,” she said.

Elected in 2022 as a Labor senator for Western Australia, Payman left the party in 2024 after defying party lines to support a Greens-led motion recognising Palestinian statehood.

In the 2022 Australian federal election, Payman was elected to the Australian Senate as a senator for Western Australia. She became the third youngest senator in Australian history. Payman is the first Muslim woman to wear a hijab in the Australian Parliament.