Fatima Payman is the daughter of Afghan refuge who died in 2018 and he thanks him for his sacrifices. She was eight years old when she arrived in Australia in 2003.
She made history this week after becoming the first hijab-wearing Senator in Australia’s parliament. Fatima is 27 years old and attended Australian Islamic College in Perth and went to university to become a doctor. But got involved in politics instead. During her first speech, in parliament, she got emotional and broke down into tears while thanking her father for his efforts. She said “Who would have thought that a young woman born in Afghanistan and the daughter of a refugee would be standing in this chamber today?” said Payman.
“Knowing the sacrifices that my dad went through as a taxi driver and security guard to ensure he saved up enough money to make ends meet. To support his family, and to ensure my siblings and I had the future he wasn’t able to secure for himself”.
Payman’s father died of leukemia in 2018 at the age of 47 and unfortunately never lived to see her become a senator.
