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Independent Senator Lydia Thorpe has been removed from office parliament after she threw pieces of paper at Pauline Hanson in the upper house when a row over racism broke out.
Labor Senate leader Penny Wong moved the motion to remove Senator Thorpe until the end of Thursday by 46 votes to 11.
The Government, the Coalition, Senator Hanson, David Pocock and Ralph Babett voted in favor of the motion.
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Only the Greens were opposed and although Senator Thorpe’s staff attended the vote, she did not.
Senator Hanson said everyone has the right to feel safe in the workplace and not be intimidated or threatened.
“I hope this sends a clear message to Senator Thorpe,” she said.
“She has been given the opportunity to take a very special place in this Parliament and act on behalf of all Australians who want clear, decisive representation with equality, not about race.”
Senator Thorpe’s staff left the room as Senator Hanson rose to speak.
Senator Wong said the debate in Parliament had devolved into “aggression, hatred and personal attacks” which could not be tolerated in the workplace.
“There are dozens of cases, including multiple cases of Senator Thorpe making inappropriate, sometimes offensive comments to other senators,” she said.
“Despite attempts to work with Senator Thorpe, she has increasingly engaged in similar behavior in this Senate.”
Coalition Senate Leader Simon Birmingham described the proposal as a “line in the sand” after the Victorian senator “crossed a line” earlier.
He said it was “more than disappointing” that the Greens had rejected him, accusing them of a “shameful double standard”.
Defending the decision taken by the Greens, Senate leader Larissa Waters said the party did not think its refusal of a voting day was an “appropriate and proportionate response”.
“Many of our senators feel insecure about Senator Thorpe’s behavior. And a number of senators in this seat feel insecure because of Senator Hanson’s behavior,” she said.
There remains one scheduled day of sittings on Thursday before parliament returns in February.
The One Nation leader sought to refer former Labor senator Fatima Payman to a parliamentary committee over her dual Afghan citizenship, questioning her right to sit in the upper house.
Senator Thorpe supported Senator Peiman, shouting “condemned racist” at Senator Hanson as she threw torn documents at her.
Senator Thorpe flashed a middle finger over his shoulder as he left the chamber.
According to section 44 of the constitution, dual nationals are not eligible to sit in parliament.
Senator Peiman has made previous requests to renounce her Afghan citizenship, but has been unable to due to the Taliban takeover.
Senator Thorpe was censured by the upper house for her publicized protest against King Charles during the monarch’s visit to Parliament House in October.
A no-confidence motion has no legal consequences, but is rare and allows parliamentarians to formally express their disapproval of colleagues.
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