Fellow WA senate defector Fatima Payman surprised by Labor accepting Dorinda Cox

Rogue senator Fatima Payman, who sensationally quit the Labor Party last year earning the ire of Anthony Albanese, has expressed surprise that he has easily accepted Greens defector Dorinda Cox.

Senator Payman quit Labor in July last year after she crossed the floor while supporting a Greens motion recognising the state of Palestine, before setting up her own party Australia’s Voice.

The Prime Minister was unhappy with her decision and later told the Australian Financial Review she should give back her senate seat to Labor and run “under the banner of her new political party” at the election.

On Tuesday, 24 hours after Senator Cox’s own shock defection, Senator Payman was asked if it was “hypocritical” of Mr Albanese to welcome the former Green back to the Labor Party.

“Some people may call the Prime Minister hypocritical. And let’s call a spade a spade,” Senator Payman told the ABC.

“I’m just glad that Senator Cox hasn’t had to deal with all the name-calling and the smear campaign that I had to deal with, and she and I get along well so I hope that she has a smoother time than I did.

“It was the one of the most terrible and horrible periods of my life and I’m just glad that Senator Cox hasn’t had to go through it.

“The real question is is the Labor Party ready to accept different voices of diversity and views into their caucus? Or are they going to expect them to sing from the same hymn sheet?”

Greens brutal move against Cox

Meanwhile, the Greens have moved quickly, wiping from Senator Cox from its website and MP listings of her former party following her shock defection to Labor.

Donning a maroon shirt and a massive smile, Senator Cox addressed the media on Monday afternoon alongside Mr Albanese at Perth’s Kings Park.

The Greens, her former party, were alerted to the defection a mere hour and half earlier.

Senator Cox had been removed from the Greens’ official website by the end of the press conference, with the URL link to her profile scrubbed and replaced with an “ACCESS DENIED” banner.

She also no longer appears in the listings of the party’s representatives.

The Prime Minister on Tuesday said Senator Cox had “sat down and thought a lot about this, and her values are more aligned with Labor than the Greens”.

“We know that the Greens have lost their way,” Mr Albanese told the ABC.

“That’s one of the reasons why they lost three of their four seats in the House of Representatives, and the domination of issues that certainly aren’t environmental have been their concerns.

“I think having to sit in the Senate while the Greens blocked funding for public housing would grade against anyone who regards themselves as progressive.”

Meanwhile, Greens leader Larissa Waters has questioned how the Senator Cox’s values could align with a party that last week extended the North West Shelf gas project.

“The Greens are disappointed in Senator Cox’s decision to leave the Greens and join the Labor Party as a backbencher,” Senator Waters said.

“Senator Cox has said that her values align with the Labor Party.

“This is the same Labor Party who this week approved the climate wrecking North West Shelf gas project, which UNESCO advises will destroy significant First Nations heritage and ancient rock art.”

Senator Waters said Senator Cox would have had “more chance of effecting change by continuing to work with the Greens in the sole balance of power”.

“The Greens are committed to continuing to work for Truth, Treaty and Justice with First Nations people and will continue to work to protect country and the climate that is under such threat from Labor Party decisions in Western Australia,” she said.

“We wish her well.”

A statement by the Greens confirmed they had received notice of the move “an hour prior”.

It comes following months of internal conflict with the Greens, her former party, with several former staffers coming forward with bullying allegations against the senator.

Up to 20 staff left the office of Senator Cox in three years, Nine News reported in October.

Anthony Albanese said he was comfortable those complaints had been adequately addressed.“We examined everything that had been considered in the past. Those issues were dealt with appropriately,” he said.

“My government has established very clear guidelines, meaning that any issues relating to workplaces and making sure that workplaces are safe are properly examined.

They were all dealt with in Senator Cox’s case and dealt with appropriately.”

A former staffer told The Australian while it was not surprising to see Senator Cox part ways with the Greens, it was “shocking” to see her accepted into the Labor fold by Mr Albanese.

“It is disturbing that Labor and the Prime Minister would welcome into their party someone with such a history of alleged bullying.”