By Andrew Brown and Rachael Ward in Canberra

Cheering supporters have greeted West Australian Senator Fatima Payman at Perth Airport with the former Labor MP vowing to “serve them as an independent voice”.

The new crossbench senator quit the Labor Party this week over her stance on Palestinian rights and freedoms.

Members of the crowd hugged her and cheered as she made her way through the terminal late on Friday.

“I’m ready to serve them as an independent voice, to be their voice in Canberra,” Senator Payman told reporters.

“This is honestly the most humbling experience.

“I will be working hard for them making sure that I’ve represented them every step of the way, because west is the best.”

Senator Payman has previously rubbished claims she would join the Muslim Vote movement, a grassroots organisation that is set to run candidates in some Western Sydney Labor strongholds.

She has branded suggestions her departure was purely a result of her religion as insulting.

It comes as a Labor minister warned the 29-year-old would need to be open with her constituents on where she stands in parliament following her resignation from the major party.

“She will now have to do work within WA to develop her own election platform and explain to people how she is voting on things,” Local Government Minister Kristy McBain told ABC TV.

“She has made that decision herself and will now have to be held accountable to the Western Australian public for decisions that she has made in the Senate.”

Senator Payman previously said she felt isolated and exiled by Labor colleagues in the days before her resignation.

Ms McBain said it was disappointing the senator felt she had to quit the party to be heard on issues surrounding Palestine.

“We have caucus processes where on a number of issues you can come up and put your own motions forward and have those debated in our caucus,” she said.

“At no stage that I’ve sat in our caucus has Senator Payman stood up and said she felt uncomfortable with any of the positions taken.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has put pressure on the senator to hand back her seat to the party, saying she was only elected because she was on a Labor ticket.

“Fatima Payman received around about 1600 votes (from WA voters),” he told reporters on Friday.

“The ALP box above the line received 511,000 votes.

“It’s very clear that Fatima Payman is in the Senate because people in WA wanted to elect a Labor government.”

The Prime Minister also warned against the nation going down the road of faith-based politics over concerns it would “undermine social cohesion”.

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