Politicians urged to report threats and vary daily habits

Violent threats, intimidation and harassment the 'new reality' of Australian politics In short: Politicians have revealed harrowing experiences of threats and harassment, including intimidation targeting their children. The alleged attack on Indi MP Helen Haines has fuelled concerns about how to keep parliamentarians safe while remaining accessible to the public. What's next? The Australian Federal Police has urged MPs to report threats more and advised them to vary their daily routines as a safety precaution. When a Sydney woman faced court accused of sending death threats to multiple Australian politicians, some of her alleged targets had no idea they were on the list. They only became aware through media reports on the case, a scenario described by one of the MPs as "surreal". It was just one example of the increasingly routine nature of threats against elected representatives from across the political spectrum, with police now laying charges almost weekly. In the wake of the alleged attack on Indi MP Helen Haines, for which the motive remains unknown, parliamentarians have detailed harrowing accounts of rape threats, intimidation, stalking and harassment. One senior Labor MP told the ABC the "worst" threat they had received was from a man who sent an "itemised list" of times and places where he had seen the politician's children in public. One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has revealed a man previously made a U-Turn and tried to drive at him, while Labor MP Jerome Laxale has told The Guardian he once received a bomb threat. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said someone slipped a note under the door of her home, telling her they hoped her children "die of painful cancers". Ms Plibersek also said she could not "count" the number of death and rape threats she has received over the years. Politicians told to vary daily routines On Wednesday, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) offered safety briefings to parliamentarians who have expressed their horror, but not their surprise, at the alleged attack on Ms Haines. MPs were encouraged to report more of the threats they received and urged to share their diaries with the AFP to help police keep track of scheduled public events. They were also advised to frequently change their daily habits, such as the route they took to work or other common destinations. Parliamentarians have previously been told not to advertise public appearances in advance, and in the briefing were advised to maintain situational awareness of their surroundings, particularly when around their electorate offices. Police did not advise of any specific or immediate threats but reiterated the importance of vigilance at all times. Several MPs said they felt the meetings offered an opportunity for them to voice their concerns, which the AFP agreed to take on board. But others were underwhelmed and told the ABC they did not get the answers they were seeking about baseline security for their homes and electorate offices. Chalmers says Australia not 'immune' to political violence The AFP charged 41 people with offences relating the threats against parliamentarians in the past year, while reports of harassing, nuisance, offensive and threatening behaviour have quadrupled since 2020. In August, a 47-year-old Perth man faced court accused of threatening One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, including in one Facebook post where he said he would "hunt her down and kill her". A 19-year-old Western Australian man in March admitted to threatening to kill Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns, though told the court he "didn't mean for it to be a threat". The man's lawyer told the court her client had made an "error in judgement" adding he had been "reading a lot of political stuff online". Records show alleged perpetrators often later argued they did not intend to follow through with their threats. But that excuse was recently rejected by a Queensland magistrate hearing a case in September about a man who left voicemails with violent threats against Mr Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers. "That's not relevant to the threat … the people on the receiving end have got no idea what your intentions are," Magistrate Pamela Dowse told the man. Mr Chalmers told the ABC what had happened to Ms Haines was "shocking, but unfortunately not surprising". "Helen is the closest thing to a perfect temperament in an imperfect workplace, and it shows even the parliament's most rational person is not safe from random acts of irrational violence," he said. Mr Chalmers said, more broadly, Australia was not "immune" from the political violence that could be seen around the world. "Random acts of irrational violence are just as possible in the centre of Paris as the main drag of Wangaratta," he said. Australia faces 'new reality' amid surge in threats Labor MP Josh Burns was one of 15 high-profile figures allegedly sent death threats by a 36-year-old woman who in August fronted a Sydney court facing 62 charges, including stalking and intimidation. He only learned of the incident when the case reached court and said it stood in contrast to the majority of his interactions in the community, which were "overwhelmingly really kind". Senator Hanson, independent MP Allegra Spender, Labor MP Andrew Charlton and NSW Labor MP Jihad Dib were also allegedly threatened by the accused over a five-year period. Mr Burns said managing abusive online comments was the "worst bit" of daily life as an MP and he praised how the AFP has responded to serious threats. "But I do think there is, especially for women online and for what's happened this week, there is a new reality that we have to meet," he said. "We need to ensure that politics and people who put their hands up for public office can do so safely and good people who have something to contribute to our country are not deterred." Calls to lift support at state level In Victoria, Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell has long been a target of abuse and said state politicians were offered considerably less support than federal ones. "I spent the first few years of my political career reporting voicemails, emails, comments, graffiti on the office and it goes nowhere," she said. Ms Purcell said having Mr Burns as a partner had given her a "unique" insight into how the AFP tackled threats and would like a similar "continuity model" deployed at a state-level. Recently someone has been "consistently" writing antisemitic graffiti on her office, but Ms Purcell said she has been told to "wipe it off with metho" as it did not meet the threshold of "property damage". "But it's not the property damage that was my concern, it was the views of the person participating in the behaviour," she said. Victorian Premier Ben Carroll announced on Wednesday there would be additional resources and arrangements in place for the upcoming state election. 'Don't attack character' in political debate Speaking at the National Press Club on Tuesday, ACT Senator David Pocock said whatever measures were put in place to protect politicians must be balanced against remaining accessible to voters. "We have to ensure that we have a democracy where your local politician lives in the community, goes to the local coffee shop, does the groceries," he said. "That's something Australians love about Australia." Senator Pocock said the tenor of online discussion was something "we have to grapple with as a society". "People are saying things online that they would not say to your face," he said. Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie said he had been targeted online and subsequently identified by the AFP for "additional security". "That's just the nature of our politics at the moment," he said. Mr Hastie said the Westminster system of government was "adversarial" but the had to be a "line" where opponents were not demonised. "We don't attack their character, their standing, so that someone might feel justified in using violence against them," he said.