A file photo taken on May 17, 2010, shows participants standing in silence during a flash mob event in central Sydney which called on Muslims and non-Muslims to cover their face with something such as a burqua, medical mask or scarf to highlight burqa bans in Europe.
AFP/Sydney
A controversial plan to make women wearing the burqa or niqab sit in separate glassed public enclosures at Australia's Parliament House due to security concerns was abandoned Monday after an outcry.
The backdown followed a decision on October 2 by Speaker Bronwyn Bishop and Senate President Stephen Parry to seat people wearing face coverings in areas normally reserved for noisy school children while visiting parliament.
It followed heated debate about potential security risks since the rise of the Islamic State organisation.
The ruling was condemned by human rights and race discrimination groups, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott asked that it be reconsidered.
Race discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane told Fairfax Media the original ruling meant Muslim women were being treated differently to non-Muslim women.
"No-one should be treated like a second-class citizen, not least in the parliament," he said.
"I have yet to see any expert opinion or analysis to date which indicates that the burqa or the niqab represents an additional or special security threat."
Labor opposition frontbencher Tony Burke welcomed the backdown but said the initial decision should never have been made.
"What possessed them to think that segregation was a good idea?" he said.
"Segregation was previously introduced, apparently, with no security advice attached to it and no security reason attached to it."
The Department of Parliamentary Services said in a statement that the rules had been changed and all visitors must now "temporarily remove any coverings" that prevent the recognition of facial features.
"This will enable security staff to identify anyone who may have been banned from entering the building or who may be known to be a security risk," it said.
"Once this process has taken place visitors are free to move about the public spaces of the building, including all chamber galleries, with facial coverings in place".
Parry explained that the original "interim" decision was made after rumours began circulating earlier this month that burka-clad protesters were planning to disrupt parliament. No protest took place.
