‘Burqa ban’ at Parliament House overturned

A ban on burqas and other facial coverings in the public galleries of Parliament House has been overturned.

It has emerged the initial decision was made in response to a rumour about a planned protest and without any advice from security agencies.

MPs returned from a two-week break today and faced flimsy new control measures.

Despite the most divisive security move being reversed, other facial coverings must now be removed for security checks on entry.

Senate President Stephen Parry drafted the rules with speaker Bronwyn Bishop.

“The speaker and I met yesterday and replaced the interim measures with further measures,” he said.

The interim measures – the so-called “burqa ban” – came after a radio tip off suggested a stunt would see burqa-wearers entering parliament that day and after a TV crew mentioned it to police.

The PM’s office then alerted Ms Bishop and Mr Parry’s offices.

“I was advised that a group of people, some being male, were going to disrupt question time in the House of Representatives,” Mr Parry said today.

No-one wearing a burqa attempted to enter Parliament House that day, but the pair stand by their decision.

“There was an action planned that would have disrupted the business of the house,” Ms Bishop said.

“We would have been derelict if we’d not dealt with it.”

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