EXCLUSIVE
A pole dancer turned One Nation candidate has called out rogue Senator Fatima Payman over her Afghani citizenship after she had to renounce her own Italian nationality to stand in the federal election.
Bianca Colecchia, who is standing for Pauline Hanson‘s party in the Victorian seat of Bruce, was born and raised in the tiny rural Italian town of Sant’ Eusanio del Sangro.
She moved to Australia in 2016 with only $1000 and unable to speak a word of English, she said.
Since then though, she said Australia had transformed her life – and she has now turned her back on her Italian heritage to now stand for parliament with One Nation.
But she is incensed that former Labor senator Payman manages to avoid scrutiny over her Afghani citizenship.
‘Senator Payman’s citizenship situation is particularly troubling,’ Ms Colecchia wrote in a recent blog post on the One Nation website.
‘Despite clear knowledge about her Afghan citizenship still being in place, nothing has been done.
‘And while she keeps arguing to have taken “all reasonable steps,” she has yet to present such documentation.’
Bianca Colecchia (left) who is standing for Pauline Hanson’s party in the Victorian federal seat of Bruce, was born and raised in the tiny rural Italian town of Sant’Eusanio ‘del Sangro before moving to Australia in 2016 without a word of English and only $1,000, She is pictured with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (right)
Ms Colecchia said she was ‘worried about the direction our country has taken’ and so has decided to stand for parliament
She added: ‘In order to be eligible and be compliant with Section 44 of the Australian Constitution, I renounced my Italian citizenship.
‘It was probably one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, and it was of course a choice made with some sorrow but also with immense pride.
‘It was not a rejection of my roots but a testament to my dedication and full allegiance to Australia.’
Section 44c of the Australian constitution prevents anyone who holds citizenship of another country from sitting in parliament.
Senator Hanson has waged a campaign against Senator Payman, who abandoned Labor last year over its position on Gaza to stand as an Independent, questioning whether her Afghani citizenship disqualifies her from serving in parliament.
The situation blew up in November when Senator Payman unleashed a vicious parliamentary spray, accusing the One Nation leader of racism and claiming she brings ‘disgrace to the human race’.
Senator Payman was born in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, but gained Australian citizenship in 2005.
This, however, did not automatically revoke her Afghanistan citizenship, therefore raising questions over her eligibility to sit in the senate.
Senator Payman claims that she contacted the Afghanistan embassy in Australia in October 2021 to renounce her Afghan citizenship but they could not do it because they had no relationship with the new Taliban government.
Senator Payman (pictured) was born in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, but gained Australian citizenship in 2005
Ms Colecchia (pictured) secured a five-month internship with One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts in February last year, which saw her work at the heart of government
Nevertheless, Senator Payman received legal advice from the Labor Party that she had taken ‘all reasonable steps’ to revoke her foreign citizenship and was eligible.
But Senator Hanson has demanded she provide documentation to prove this, with her new electoral weapon in Victoria echoing these calls.
Ms Colecchia pointed out that politicians from all sides have been caught out by Section 44, including then-deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and federal Labor minister Katy Gallagher.
‘Yet, Senator Hanson was subject to an abhorrent show of abuse by Senator Payman, who accused her of being racist during a Parliamentary sitting for simply calling out an issue that has nothing to do with race but all to do with our Constitution,’ Ms Colecchia added.
‘Let’s be clear: Senator Hanson played no role in drafting the Constitution; she is merely attempting to uphold it so that the institution’s integrity can be maintained.’
Daily Mail Australia has approached Senator Payman for comment.
Ms Colecchia spoke proudly of the impact Australia had on her life and the opportunities the country had given her in the blog post.
‘This country has given me so much, and it gave me the opportunity to turn my life around,’ Ms Colecchia admitted in her article.
‘So, I learned the language, I worked hard, and I embraced the Australian way of life. Today, I am incredibly grateful to be able to call Australia home.
Ms Colecchia is a huge fan on US President-elect Donald Trump
Performing well in the polls: Ms Colecchia used to compete in beauty pageants in her native Italy and her previous social media feeds included snaps of holidays in luxury locations and clips of her pole dancing
‘To me, becoming an Australian citizen was a privilege but also a commitment to this nation and its future.’
But Ms Colecchia said she was ‘worried about the direction our country has taken’ and so has decided to stand for parliament.
Ms Colecchia previously competed in beauty pageants in her native Italy and her previous social media feeds included snaps of holidays in luxury locations and clips of her pole dancing.
But that all changed after she joined the One Nation party in February 2023.
She set up a podcast called A Conservative Voice a month later where she regularly railed against topics such as ‘trans ideology’ and former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews, while labeling the Voice to Parliament ‘racist’.
The huge Donald Trump fan secured a five-month internship with One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts in February last year, which saw her work at the heart of government.
Ms Colecchia, who was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Relations, and Sociology from the University of Melbourne last month, is slated to stand in the federal seat of Bruce in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.
The Labor Party won the seat with more than 40 per cent of the vote, with the One Nation candidate placing last with just under five per cent of the vote.
Daily Mail Australia approached Ms Colecchia for comment.