The Latest Breaking News from Fatima Payman

WA senator says ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ – a phrase Anthony Albanese argues is counter to two-state solution

Former Labor foreign minister says $6m in emergency funding should be released immediately as Canada and Sweden have done

Labor senator Fatima Payman and Jacqui Lambie Network senator Tammy Tyrrell have used their first speeches to call for greater diversity in politics.

Senators have pledged to keep pressure on the Taliban to uphold the rights and freedoms of the Afghan people a year on from the fall of the capital Kabul.

Fatima Payman's Parliament House office was once occupied by Tony Abbott and Clive Palmer. Pauline Hanson also took a first that should have been hers. She's hoping her arrival in parliament will offer a "beacon of hope" to other young women.

Australia’s first Afghan-born and hijab-wearing senator has spoken of her journey as a refugee and Muslim faith during her first remarks in the Senate.

Does Australia still have a racism problem? Or does it simply suffer from a diversity and inclusion problem at the level of governance and political representation? Answering these questions is rarely straightforward and always depends on the personal experiences and ethno-religious backgrounds of those asking.

The final buttons to electronically distribute preferences for the Senate were pressed in NSW, Victoria and Western Australia on Monday. I wrote about the distribution of preferences in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania on Saturday, and the climate activist’s David Pocock’s ACT Senate victory on Tuesday.

Here's your quick catch-up for this morning's news.