MEDIA RELEASE
28 July 2026
The Australian Muslim Advocacy Network congratulates Senator Mehreen Faruqi.
Yesterday, the Full Federal Court threw out Pauline Hanson’s appeal. All three judges agreed. She lost on every single ground.
The Court backed what Justice Angus Stewart found back in November 2024. Senator Hanson broke the law when she told Senator Faruqi to pack her bags and go back to Pakistan.
That post breached section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. That is the law that makes it unlawful to publicly abuse someone because of their race or where they come from.
The Court said Hanson’s post was anti-Muslim and Islamophobic. It said the post was just another version of an old line thrown at people of colour for generations: go back to where you came from.
The Court said the post was likely to be deeply offensive, insulting, humiliating and frightening. Not just to Senator Faruqi. To migrants. To Australians whose families came here recently. And to Muslims of colour right across this country.
Senator Hanson argued that being a politician gave her a constitutional right to say it. The Court said no. Section 18C is good law. Her “fair comment” defence failed as well.
“This is a win for every Muslim calling this country home,” said a spokesperson for AMAN.
“Senator Faruqi fought for four years so a court would say out loud what our community already knew. This is racism. And it is against the law.”
“Australian Muslims have watched this language become normal inside our own parliament. The Court has now made it plain. A seat in parliament is not a free pass. Free speech has never meant the freedom to tear people down for who they are or where their family came from.”
Four years in court is a heavy load. It costs money, time and peace of mind. Senator Faruqi and her family carried that load in public, and they deserve credit for it.
We also thank Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman. His help to the Court on ‘intersectionality’ of racism made a difference.
This case also exposes a hole in our law. AMAN has been pointing at that hole for years. So did the Envoy to Combat Islamophobia in his report. He recommended that Muslims get the same protection from hate that other communities already have, like Jewish and Sikh Australians. The Albanese Government ignored him. That is shameful.
Government would not lead. So Senator Faruqi led instead.
Now it is reported that Pauline Hanson may take this to the High Court.
Australians deserve to know who pays for that. Senator Hanson has raised money from the public to fight the Albanese Government. Will she spend it on this instead? She should say so plainly.
So far, every round of this case has only made the law stronger for Australian Muslims.
ENDS.