Hi, I’m Fatima.
And I never planned to be a politician.
In 2022, I entered the Senate at 27 as the first hijab-wearing woman elected to any Australian Parliament. I didn’t come to Canberra to be a token, or to stay silent when it mattered most. I came to stand up for people who felt unheard.
Growing up in Australia
I didn’t grow up dreaming of Parliament. I grew up in a working-class migrant family in the northern suburbs of Perth as the eldest of four kids.
My dad worked three jobs – taxi driver, security guard and kitchen hand. After Dad passed away when I was 21, my mum took over and worked day and night to keep us afloat.
She built a small business, taught other migrant women how to drive, and somehow held everything together even when the world felt like it was falling apart. She believed that if people were willing to work hard, they deserved a fair chance to get ahead. That’s a lesson I’ve carried with me my whole life.
Watching my parents work themselves to the bone to give us a better life is what first lit the fire in me. It taught me something simple that has guided me ever since: everyone deserves a fair go.
A fair go at work. A fair go at education. A fair go at building a secure life, no matter where you come from.
Early career
While studying pharmacy and working part-time at the local pizza shop, I stepped up to help my mum. I was packing lunches, paying bills and raising my siblings.
It wasn’t always easy, but it reinforced what I’d learned growing up: families shouldn’t have to struggle simply to stay afloat. Everyone deserves a fair go.
It was the strength of women like my mum that taught me what resilience really looks like. The kind of quiet, relentless strength that keeps Australia running even when no one’s watching.
That’s why I got involved in people-powered movements.
Before Parliament, I was an organiser for the United Workers Union, standing with early educators, cleaners and aged care workers, fighting for better pay, respect and dignity.
A life guided by principles
Being a wife, a mum to my daughter, and an aunt to my nephew has given me an even deeper appreciation of what’s at stake when we talk about the future of our country.
Every family wants the same basic things: a safe home, a good education, secure work and the opportunity to build a better life for their children.
When I look at my daughter growing up, I think about the Australia she’ll inherit. I want her, and every child, to have a fair go. Not just the children born into privilege or opportunity, but every child.
Senate
When the time came to act on principle, I became the first person to cross the floor and vote against the Government in 40 years. Because doing what’s right will always mean more to me than playing political games.
If you’re tired of politics that serves itself, I hear you – because I am too. For me, politics isn’t about headlines or point-scoring. It’s about the decisions that shape people’s everyday lives. It’s about whether parents can make ends meet, and whether the next generation gets the same opportunities that previous generations had.
I’m here to fight for affordable housing, for justice for Palestine, for the safety of women and children, and for a future that actually works for young people and not just those at the top.
Let’s build something different. Something honest, brave, and people-powered. Something that delivers a fair go for everyone.