Fatima Payman only made it a few minutes into her first speech to Federal Parliament before she broke down in tears.

Proudly addressing the Senate in a hijab, the first Muslim woman to do so,  she thanked her late father who arrived in Australia as a refugee.

'Whose sacrifices will never be forgotten and who I dearly wish was here to see how far his little daughter has come,' she said on Wednesday, her voice cracking until she could speak no more.

Senator Payman loudly sobbed as Marielle Smith, her neighbour on the Labor backbench, put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

'You got this,' she said.

Senator Payman, 27, summoned the strength to carry on, her voice still wavering as she told her family's powerful story.

'I'd like to thank my mum and my siblings who've joined us here today for their unwavering support, love, and patience,' she continued.

'Who would have thought that a young woman born in Afghanistan and the daughter of a refugee would be standing in this chamber today? 

'Knowing the sacrifices that my dad went through as a taxi driver and security guard to ensure he saved up enough money to make ends meet, to support his family, and to ensure my siblings and I had the future he wasn't able to secure for himself.'

Her father Abdul Wakil Payman came to Australia by boat as a refugee in 1999 and was locked up in immigration detention.

The family had fled Afghanistan to Pakistan when the Taliban took power, because Senator Payman's grandfather was a member of parliament under the old regime.

For four years Mr Payman worked grueling hours as a kitchen hand, taxi driver, and security guard to save up enough money to sponsor his family.