Senator rips off burka in Parliament to call for its ban in 'appalling' stunt

A hard-right Australian politician has sparked anger by wearing a burka to Parliament before ripping it off and calling for it to be banned.

Senator Pauline Hanson was met with jeers and heckles as she tore off the veil saying it should be banned on national security grounds.

She was chastised for the "appalling" stunt by Attorney-General George Brandis.

He drew a standing ovation after warning her that her grandstanding risked alienating Australia's Muslim minority.

Ms Hanson, of the anti-Muslim One Nation party, told the chamber: "I'm quite happy to remove this because this is not what should belong in this Parliament."

She had attempted to link the religious garments with terror threats in her speech, claiming that "a large majority of Australians wish to see the banning of the burka".

Her act drew condemnation from senators across the political spectrum.

"It is one thing to wear religious dress as a sincere act of faith; it is another to wear it as a stunt here in the Senate," said opposition senate leader Penny Wong.

And fellow opposition member and Sam Dastyari described the act as "the stunt of all stunts in this chamber by Sen. Hanson."

He added: "The close to 500,000 Muslim Australians do not deserve to be targeted, do not deserve to be marginalised, do not deserve to be ridiculed, do not deserve to have their faith made some political point by the desperate leader of a desperate political party."