Data shows threats against MPs rising before Helen Haines attack
A car-ramming attack on independent MP Helen Haines has left her with a leg amputated and doctors fighting to save the other. The attack happened outside her electorate office in Wangaratta. Australian Federal Police data shows threats against parliamentarians have risen fourfold since 2020, with 41 people charged over such threats in the past year. Commissioner Krissy Barrett said charges are laid almost every week. A 2025 survey found nearly 9 per cent of Australians said violence was sometimes justified to advance a cause, with younger people more likely to agree.