Anthony Albanese is considering duress alarms as part of wider security for politicians in the wake of the shocking attack on Indi MP Helen Haines last week which has left her as a double leg amputee.
Both the Prime Minister and opposition leader Angus Taylor acknowledged within their party room meetings on Tuesday the worry within their parties about the growing threats after the crossbencher was rammed in an allegedly deliberate attack in Wangaratta.
All parliamentarians had received a security briefing last week and nine selected on threat basis have been earmarked to receive security upgrades to their electoral offices but Mr Albanese indicated further protective measures for politicians and their staff.
“People have been putting up with this growing threat environment for too long,” the Prime Minister told caucus members at a meeting on Tuesday, according to a spokesman.
“I know so many of you have experienced an increase in aggressive and threatening behaviour online and in person. There have been vile threats towards you and your family and damage to your electorate offices.”
“This is particularly acute for women members of caucus, who often receive vile and misogynistic threats to their safety and increased hatred online, often of a violent and sexual nature. Women have to be able to do this job and do it safely.”
While Coalition members didn’t press their leaders on further measures, one Labor MP questioned in caucus what was being done to protect democracy from aggressive conduct, including at polling booths.
It comes after the husband of Victorian Liberal Party candidate Amanda Dowe was allegedly assaulted during a fight over campaign signs on Sunday.
Just a day earlier Victorian police has launched an investigation into threats against State’s Emergency Services Minister Paul Edbrooke after a bullet was on his car bonnet inscribed with “RAT” and his old firefighter number.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett was expected to use her senate estimates appearance on Tuesday to warn of the cocktail of issues driving violence, including “personal grievance, mental health vulnerabilities and ideological concerns”.
She said the force had received 785 protective security reports between January and July that contained “adverse content about federal parliamentarians”.
“Our investigators are charging almost one person a week for targeting Commonwealth Parliamentarians or high office holders,” she states in her opening address.
“Adverse content does not always meet a criminal threshold. However, the AFP takes all reports seriously,” she states.
“When adverse content does not meet a criminal threshold, it is used to inform our assessment of threat, risk and vulnerability.”
Commissioner Barrett also labelled anti-Semitism as “the early warning sign of a decay in our society” and called for Australian to work collectively to wake up to the threats which she said often enabled through the “instant pipeline of hate” online.
“When I am asked what has changed in recent years, this is what has changed — the vector of tech and social media is converging with the angry, the haters, the unstable and the amoral, who wrongly believe threats and violence are tolerable if their cause is noble,” she said.
The complaints to AFP were almost an even gender spilt, however, Ms Barrett said female MPs and those from minority groups were more likely to report receiving offensive or threatening contact that was sexualised or more personal.
It comes as a Queensland man was sentenced for threats against independent WA Senator Fatima Payman on Thursday.
The Glastonbury father of three Izaac Lee Alford, 33, appeared before court for “disgusting rants” and “repulsive” threats to Senator Payman via voicemails, emails, and X comments.
It included: “I hope you goat f..ing degenerate terrorist c..t get hit by a truck (before)… he reverses over your f..ing foul terrorist head — just to make sure that he did the job properly.”
The man had previously been sentenced for serious assault and weapons offences.
The Senator faced criticism on Monday evening in Senate Estimates after a late-night outburst over staffing numbers which included an accusation that Anthony Albanese was waiting for her to be targeted in a Helen Haines-like attack.
“Am I being made an example of? Is the Prime Minister waiting for something like what happened to Dr Helen Haines to occur to my office? To me? For him to take our requests seriously,” she questioned.
Senator Payman had been talking about her two-year fight for staff but linking her plight to the allegedly deliberate attack on Dr Haines had prompted sharp criticism from Labor’s Don Farrell and Karen Grogan.
The former Labor Senator, turned independent, said on reflection her emotional outburst had been “poorly worded” and insisted that it was not her intention to “diminish the attack on Helen”.
“My intention was not to diminish the attack on Helen, I understand that it could be seen that way and I apologise if this has caused any distress to Helen, or her family,” Senator Payman told The Nightly.
“While poorly worded, the issue I was trying to raise is real.
“I was frustrated and exhausted after almost two years of asking for the staffing my office needs. In expressing that frustration, I referred to Dr Haines’s attack, which is obviously front of mind for all of us.
“My thoughts are with Dr Helen Haines, her family and her team as she recovers. What happened to her is horrific, and I wish her a full and speedy recovery.”
Senator Payman said, like many female politicians, her staff regularly have to monitor and report abuse against her.
“My office has referred more than 100 incidents of threats and abuse to the Australian Federal Police,” Senator Payman revealed.
“My staff carry the burden of monitoring, reporting and managing that material every day, on top of the work of representing Western Australians as an independent.”
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson defended Senator Payman on Tuesday and slammed Anthony Albanese for ignoring staffing requests.
The Senators are unusual allies given the blows they’ve exchanged in the past but have previously united over staffing issues — accusing Mr Albanese of weaponising allocations.
“It’s hypocritical for the Prime Minister to lecture everyone about turning the temperature down while abusing his powers against his political opponents,” she told news.com.au on Tuesday.
“Our request includes staff to coordinate logistics and security to keep people safe.”
During her tribute to Dr Haines in the House on Monday, Housing Minister Clare O’Neil thanked political staffers and shared how her staff had shielded her from abuse, death and rape threats during her time as the Hotham MP.
“The things that my staff — the things they have to do to protect me,” Ms O’Neil said.
“The abusive phone calls. They need to deal with the people who trawl through my social media. Trying to find the the difference between a vitriolic message and something that’s got a death threat or a rape threat that needs to be reported.
“I say to every staffer — if you’re a ministerial staffer, a shadow ministerial staffer, working on the front line of an electorate office — we thank you. We acknowledge the deep difficulty of the work that you are having to do.”
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