An Australian lawmaker has filed a formal complaint with a parliamentary oversight body after an older male colleague allegedly made sexually suggestive and culturally insensitive comments to her during an official event.

Independent senator Fatima Payman, who was born in Afghanistan and made history as the first Australian senator to wear a hijab, told the ABC that the remarks were made while the colleague was intoxicated.

“He said: ‘Let’s get some wine into you and see you dance on the table,’” 30-year-old Payman told ABC. “I told this colleague, ‘Hey, I’m drawing a line, mate,’ and moved on to making a formal complaint.”

Payman said the remarks left her feeling “singled out” because she chooses not to consume alcohol. She called the comment both inappropriate and alienating, explaining that it made her feel targeted for her cultural and religious background.

The formal complaint was submitted to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS), an independent organisation created in the aftermath of the Brittany Higgins case. That high-profile incident in 2021 prompted national scrutiny of sexual harassment, bullying and alcohol-fuelled behaviour within the walls of Parliament House.

Speaking to Triple J Hack on Wednesday, Payman said the response from PWSS was prompt and supportive. She added that she felt “looked after and taken care of” throughout the complaint process.

Elected in 2022 as a Labor senator representing Western Australia, Payman was the youngest member of the previous parliamentary term.

She departed from the Labor Party in 2024 after breaking ranks to support a Greens-led motion backing Palestinian statehood—a position that diverged from her party’s official stance.