Fatima Payman will become the first Muslim woman who wears a hijab to sit in Australia’s Parliament.
She claimed WA’s sixth Senate seat, which changed hands to Labor, as the election of the state’s six upper house positions that were up for grabs was finalised on Monday.
Michaelia Cash and Dean Smith both retained their positions for the Liberals, as well as Greens Senator Dorinda Cox.
Labor senators Sue Lines and Glenn Sterle were also returned, with Ms Payman taking the sixth spot.
Liberal Ben Small, who was appointed to replace Mathias Cormann when he retired from federal politics, lost his bid to return to the Senate.
The results mean there will be an equal number of Labor and Liberal Senators from WA, with five each, as well as two from the Greens.
Just over a third of West Australians put Labor as their first preference in the Senate – a swing of 6.92 per cent.
That is less than the roughly 10 per cent swing towards Labor seen across the state in the lower house.
But there was a much greater swing away from the Liberals, with the party losing 9.24 per cent of first preferences to sit on 31.67 per cent.
They were followed by the Greens on 14.26 per cent, up 2.45 per cent, and One Nation on 3.49 per cent, down 2.39 per cent.
'Before I'm an Afghan or Muslim, I'm an Australian Labor Senator'
Speaking to the media on Monday afternoon, Ms Payman said she was "honoured and privileged" to be elected to her new role.
"Before I'm an Afghan or a Muslim I'm an Australian Labor Senator, representing all Australians regardless of their faith, background, cultural identity or sexual orientation, age or ability," she said.
"I'll be representing all, including our First Nations people as well."
At 27, she is the third youngest Senator in history.
Ms Payman said her priorities included getting more people from diverse backgrounds involved in politics, improving early childhood education, and climate change.
But she also hoped her election would help normalise the idea of wearing a hijab.
"Not only because Islamaphobia has been rife in the media, but I want young girls who do decide to wear the hijab to actually do it with pride, do it knowing that they've got all the right to be wearing it," she said.
Ms Payman came to Australia as an eight-year-old, having fled Afghanistan with her family.
She has previously paid tribute to her father, who died in 2018 after a battle with leukemia.
"My story goes back to 1999, when my father jumped on a boat, travelled the Indian Ocean to find a better life for his three children and his wife," she told ABC Radio Perth at the time.
