Program: What do voters think of senator Fatima Payman's move?

Sally Sara: Senator Fatima Payman says she will listen and engage with the people of WA to find out which issues matter most. The Senator was elected from what seemed to be an unwinnable spot on WA's Senate ticket due to Labor's rise in popularity. So what do voters in her home state make of her becoming an independent? Isabel Moussalli prepared this report.

Isabel Moussalli: Perth woman Jill is enjoying a school holiday outing with her granddaughter on the foreshore.

Voter 1: It's wonderful here isn't it? No they enjoy it.

Voter 1's granddaughter: The merry-go-round is, it was really fun. Made me dizzy a little bit.

Isabel Moussalli: But for WA voters like Jill, national politics can seem like a bit of a circus. She's still trying to get her head around the rapidly evolving events in Canberra this week surrounding former Labor Senator Fatima Payman.

Voter 1: I heard somebody else say how dare she and this is not West Australian and how yeah but I thought oh okay that's a strong opinion and then I realised what she did was kind of out of order for the Labor Party so I do stand up for people who are individual though and make their own choices so I can't say I disagree with what she did.

Isabel Moussalli: For others on the streets of Perth though, the WA Senator's name doesn't really resonate even if they did help elect her.

Voter 2: No sorry no idea.

Voter 3: No.

Voter 4: Who? No.

Isabel Moussalli: She's a Labor Senator for WA.

Voter 4: Who crossed the floor, yes.

Isabel Moussalli: So now she's leaving the Labor Party, she's going to be an independent now, what do you think about that move?

Voter 4: Oh that's great if she wants to do that but you know the Labor Party's got their rules and she hasn't played by their rules so she can leave and play by her own rules.

Isabel Moussalli: At the 2022 Federal Poll, Fatima Payman was elected from the third spot on Labor's Senate ticket. Martin Drum says the last time that happened for WA was in the 80s. He's a politics professor at Notre Dame University in Perth. We

Professor Martin Drum: don't normally get a third Labor Senator elected in Western Australia. It was because Mark McGowan was very popular, Scott Morrison was quite unpopular in Western Australia last time and the election of the third Senator was somewhat of a surprise for many observers and prior to this kerfuffle I don't think that she would have been all that well known in the broader community.

Isabel Moussalli: And while this event has elevated her profile, Fatima Payman still has four years left to serve in the Federal Parliament because Senators are elected to six-year terms. But Martin Drum warns she'll still face a tough task carving out her own position as representative for the voters of WA.

Professor Martin Drum: It's better for you to be known than unknown but it's better for you to be known on an issue that really switches a lot of votes. I think that gives you the best chance if you're able to tap into an issue that will remain on the agenda or will remain a really volatile issue that properly helps us well. I mean we've got a long way to go before Fatima Payman is actually up for re-election but there's not a strong history of electing independents in Western Australia to the Federal Parliament.

Isabel Moussalli: At least for now Senator Payman has the vote of this woman who didn't know her name but likes the sound of what she hears.

Voter 5: She will be a super strong person by herself.

Isabel Moussalli: Would you vote for her as an independent Senator instead of a Labor Senator?

Voter 5: I would being a woman myself because I do believe in women's rights and stuff like that and I do believe there are lots of controversies going on with Palestine and Israel and whatnot. So I do believe in all those things. If a woman is fighting for justice definitely I will stand by it.

Sally Sara: That report from Isabel Moussalli.