"This is a racist senator, displaying blatant racism," said Muslim Mehreen Faruqi, a Greens senator from the state of New South Wales.

Pauline Hanson, leader of Australia`s far-right One Nation Party, caused widespread outrage in the Senate after entering the chamber wearing a burqa.

Hanson appeared in the Senate chamber dressed in a burqa after she was denied permission to introduce a proposal calling for a ban on the garment.

After refusing to leave the session, she triggered chaos and forced the suspension of the Senate meeting.

Muslim senators in Australia condemned the act as "blatant racism" and "an insult to Muslims."

Mehreen Faruqi, a Muslim senator from the Australian Greens, said:
"This is a racist senator displaying blatant racism and Islamophobia. Someone needs to hold her legally accountable for this."

Fatima Payman, another Muslim senator, also stated:
"She is disrespecting a religion; she is disrespecting Muslims... This is completely against the Constitution. This matter must be addressed immediately before the session proceeds."

Pauline Hanson has previously been an outspoken opponent of Muslim attire and the presence of Asian immigrants in Australia.

That comes as a government envoy said in September that Australia had failed to tackle persistent and intensifying Islamophobia.