A FAR-RIGHT Australian politician has sparked outrage after wearing a burqa in parliament to promote her push for a public ban on face coverings.

Pauline Hanson, leader of the anti-immigration One Nation party, entered the Senate chamber in the garment after being blocked from tabling a Bill seeking to prohibit the burqa and similar coverings in public spaces.

Her stunt drew immediate condemnation, with several senators accusing her of racism and Islamophobia.

Proceedings were briefly suspended when she initially refused to remove the garment.

Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australia’s first Muslim woman elected to the upper house, denounced the act as blatant racism, while Labour Senate leader Penny Wong said the behaviour was unworthy of the chamber and moved to suspend Ms Hanson.

The incident marked the second time Ms Hanson has used a burqa as a political prop, following a similar display in 2017.

After the session, she defended her actions on Facebook, claiming the burqa was “oppressive” and posed risks to women’s safety and national security.