Fatima Payman is the first hijab-wearing senator to take a place in the Australian Parliament.

And, in another history-making twist, at just 27 she is the youngest person in the current parliament.

Senator Payman is an Australian Muslim with cultural roots from Afghanistan. The eldest daughter of four children, she was raised in the northern suburbs of Perth.

She decided to run for politics, after becoming passionate about social justice, climate action, an anti-corruption commission, and fee-free TAFE courses.

But she says her new role comes with unexpected pressure.

“I’m trying to manage the expectations of the many diverse groups, including our Afghan and Perth communities, young Australians, women, migrants, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds,” Senator Payman said.

“Having people’s hopes and dreams attached to your sort of progress and the work you do is quite a lot of pressure,” she said.

Fatima Payman

But Senator Payman said it was important for all Australians to see themselves reflected in the nation’s most important institution — something she wished her late father could have seen her achieve.

“As ethnic households, politics is discussed at the dinner table all the time, but it never occurred to me that it was a career that I would take upon,” she said.

Senator Payman sees her youth as a strength, and that she planned to use her age as a tool to advocate for other young Australians, many of whom have lost faith in the political system.

“I hope that my presence will be welcoming but also a beacon of hope for many out there, especially the young demographic that often see themselves slip through the cracks when it comes to massive legislation,” she said.

“It’s important that young people are brought to the table.”

Senator Payman used her maiden speech to the Senate to set her guiding principles.

“Who would’ve thought that a young woman born in Afghanistan and a daughter of a refugee would be standing in this chamber today,” she told the Senate.

“One hundred years ago, let alone 10 years ago, would this parliament have been this accepting? 100 years ago, let alone 10 years ago, would this parliament accept a woman choosing a hijab to be elected?”

And she used the opportunity to tell young girls who chose to wear a hijab to do so with pride.

“For those who choose to advise me about what I should wear or judge my competency based on my internal experience, know that the hijab is my choice,” Senator Payman said.

“I want young girls who choose to wear a hijab to do it with pride and knowledge they have the right.”

Senator Payman also used her speech to thank her late father, acknowledging his sacrifices in bringing his family to Australia.

“We have all heard ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. This truly hits home for me. I’d like my first gratitude to be expressed to my late beloved, whose sacrifices will never be forgotten and who I dearly wish was here to see how far his little daughter has come,” she said.

“Knowing the sacrifices that my dad went through as a taxi driver and security guard to ensure he saved enough money to make ends meet to support this family and to ensure that my siblings and I had the future that he wasn’t able to secure for himself.”

Senator Payman’s father arrived in Australia as a refugee and worked hard to provide for her, her mum and her siblings working as a kitchen hand, a security guard and a taxi driver before starting her own driving school business.

In 2018 Senator Payman lost her father to Leukaemia and she became a union organiser to be able to represent people like him.

She has also been volunteering raising funds for Penny Appeal Australia and tutoring high school students.

She joined the Edmund Rice Centre to help develop and upskill young community leaders and since 2017, Fatima has worked closely with WA Police to help them better understand the barriers faced by youth and culturally diverse communities.

See a video here: Fatima Payman: Meet Australia’s first hijab-wearing senator – BBC News