'I would not change a thing': Pauline Hanson defends burqa stunt

Pauline Hanson insists she "wouldn't change a thing" about her burqa stunt that shocked parliament on Wednesday.

The One Nation senator caused a furore on Thursday when she entered the Senate wearing a the head-to-toe covering burqa, earning a blistering rebuke from Attorney-General George Brandis labelling it an "appalling" stunt.

Hanson wore the Islamic garment in the chamber to highlight what she said were the security issues it posed, linking it to terrorism as fellow senators heckled her.

"I would not change a thing. I am not embarrassed by what I did. I have created debate, it needed to be done," she told Sunrise on Friday in the wake of her stunt.

Senator Hanson was slammed for "the stunt". Source: AAP

Source: AAP

Ms Hanson said as she walked into the chambers, no one asked to check her identity or see who was under the burqa.

"I actually got a message from a woman in Saudi Arabia who had actually congratulated me and said thank you because she wants to get rid of the scarf that they have to wear."

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Attorney-General George Brandis said his conservative government had no such plans, warning Hanson she risked offending the Muslim community by wearing a burqa when she was not a follower of Islam.

"To ridicule that community, to drive it into a corner, to mock its religious garments is an appalling thing to do, and I would ask you to reflect on what you have done," he said.

Brandis, his voice cracking with emotion, also said that being a strict adherent Muslim, such as those who wear the burqa, was "absolutely consistent" with being a law-abiding citizen.

"We have about half a million Australians in this country of the Islamic faith and the vast majority of them are law-abiding, good Australians," he said.

Senator Hanson caused an outcry when she wore a burqa in parliament today. Photo: AAP

Brandis' remarks prompted a standing ovation from his political opponents in the Labor and Greens parties.

Independent senator Derryn Hinch labelled Hanson's conduct "disgusting".

"Pauline Hanson mocked the religion of some Australians ... she made a mockery of an honourable place (the Senate)," he told Sky News.

Labor senator Sam Dastyari accused Hanson of stoking extremism in a poorly timed bid for "a cheap headline".

"In the same week that we saw white nationalism rear its ugly head in the country of our closest ally - in that week a stunt like this gets pulled in the Australian Senate," he said.

"It is hurtful, it is offensive, it is wrong."

Senator Hanson starts to rip off the burqa before she begins to speak. Photo: AAP

Hanson first gained prominence in the 1990s, when she warned Australia was in danger of being "swamped by Asians".

After a 12-year hiatus from politics she returned in 2014, this time targeting Muslims and was elected to the Senate two years later as leader of the right-wing One Nation party.

In her first speech after returning to parliament, she said Islam was "a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own".

Hanson was unrepentant after her latest stunt, telling commercial radio: "Is it extreme? Yes. Is it getting my message across? I hope so."