The Nationals are set to vote on a motion to ban the Muslim burqa and niqab from any public place except for mosques.
North Queensland MP George Christensen is leading the charge, and will move the motion at the National Party of Australia’s federal conference on Sunday.
He is supported by Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce who has spoken out in favour of a debate on the Islamic head-covering.
The Nationals are set to vote on a motion to ban the Muslim burqa and niqab from any public place except for mosques (pictured is party leader Barnaby Joyce)
The debate about the burqa was reignited when controversial One Nation senator Pauline Hanson (pictured) wore one into the upper house in August
‘The sensible thing to do is to ban the burqa and niqab in public buildings and spaces, leaving some exemptions for religious places of worship,’ Mr Christensen told The Daily Telegraph.
‘It’s not an attack on religion — it’s an attack on a cultural garment which really is not conducive to the Australian way of life. There clearly is a threat to public safety and security and [people] should be forced to take them off if they refuse.’
The outspoken former chief whip of his party, whose seat of Dawson is under threat from One Nation, called for a burqa ban on his Facebook page on August 17.
‘I do believe quite strongly that full facial coverings should be banned in all government buildings and in public areas,’ he wrote.
‘The sensible thing to do is to ban the burqa (pictured) and niqab in public buildings and spaces, leaving some exemptions for religious places of worship,’ Mr Christensen said
North Queensland MP George Christensen (pictured) is leading the charge, and will move the motion at the National Party of Australia’s federal conference on Sunday
‘There are safety reasons for such a ban and it also has to be noted that the cultural reasoning behind facial coverings is quite sexist.’
Mr Christensen, who crossed the floor recently to vote with Labor on penalty rates, said the government needs to start speaking out about radical Islam.
The renegade MP denied banning the burqa and the niqab is racist, saying it creates fear and is bad for community relations.
‘If you can’t see someone’s face it immediately creates a tension [and] a discord,’ he said.
The outspoken former chief whip of his party, whose seat of Dawson is under threat from One Nation, called for a burqa ban on his Facebook page on August 17 (pictured)
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce (pictured) has supported the motion, which is expected to be backed by Christensen’s branch and party members from NSW
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has supported the motion, which is expected to be backed by Christensen’s branch and party members from NSW.
He said a debate was welcome and he would be watching and listening along with the other delegates at the party’s federal conference.
The debate about the burqa was reignited when controversial One Nation senator Pauline Hanson wore one into the upper house in August.
Attorney-General George Brandis responded with an emotion-filled tirade, causing discomfort in his own ranks.
The burqa (pictured as worn by Senator Hanson) is a full-face veil that covers the entire face and body, and wearers see though a mesh covering over the eyes
The stunt led to a surge in the polls for One Nation, and Nationals MPs are believed to be attempting to distance themselves from Brandis’ remarks.
A Sky News/ReachTEL poll conducted on August 23 revealed over 50 per cent of Australians strongly support or approve of a ban on the Islamic garment in public places.
The burqa is a full-face veil that covers the entire face and body, and wearers see though a mesh covering over the eyes.
The niqab is a veil that covers all of the face apart from the eyes, and is worn with a garment that covers the whole body.
The niqab is a veil that covers all of the face apart from the eyes, and is worn with a garment that covers the whole body (pictured is a Syrian woman removing her niqab after her village was liberated by Syrian Democratic Forces in June 2016)