Nine electorate offices have been marked for security upgrades following last week's attack on independent MP Helen Haines, a Department of Finance official told a Senate estimates hearing. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said MP safety was a matter of daily review. Communications Minister Anika Wells temporarily shut her electorate office after a woman allegedly made threatening gestures towards staff. Several MPs have also shared threats against themselves, their families and staff. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the threats now often arrive online rather than by letter.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett says political language and behaviour directly influences threats against elected representatives. Her comments follow an alleged deliberate attack on Indi MP Helen Haines, who was struck by a vehicle in Wangaratta on Monday and suffered serious injuries. Barrett said police are charging almost one offender a week with threatening a parliamentarian or high office holder. She said threats against female politicians are often sexual and more personal. Authorities are still investigating the motive, and the matter is before the courts.
Federal parliamentarians have been told to change their travel routes, avoid advertising public appearances and share their diaries with police. The advice followed a car ramming attack on independent MP Helen Haines, who remains in hospital after losing both legs. Some MPs said they were underwhelmed by the security briefing. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said reports of harassing and threatening behaviour against high office holders rose to 1067 last financial year. Minister Katy Gallagher said MPs were deeply affected by the attack.
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Australian politicians say threats against them have become routine, with police now laying charges almost weekly. Following an alleged attack on Indi MP Helen Haines, whose motive remains unknown, MPs have described rape threats, intimidation and stalking. The Australian Federal Police have offered safety briefings, advising MPs to vary daily routines and share diaries. Police charged 41 people over threats against parliamentarians in the past year. Several MPs say state politicians receive less support than federal ones.
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.
Australian Federal Police commissioner Krissy Barrett says officers are charging almost one person every week for targeting federal parliamentarians or high office holders. Speaking at a joint press conference with Victoria Police about the investigation into an alleged attack on Indi MP Helen Haines, Barrett said people making online threats are often shocked when officers arrive to execute a search warrant or lay charges. Barrett said the federal police had no specific intelligence suggesting an attack as serious as Monday afternoon's would occur. Brendan Nugent faces three charges over the alleged attack on Haines, who is in critical condition.
Police say further serious charges, including attempted murder, may be laid against a Victorian man over the alleged attack on Indi MP Helen Haines. Brendan Nugent, 43, faces three charges, including intentionally causing serious injury. Ms Haines, 65, remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said the attack was a deliberate but isolated act, and that investigators are examining the motive. AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said there has been an increase in unlawful behaviour towards parliamentarians.
Independent MP Helen Haines has had a second leg amputated and is alive and stable, her husband Phil Haines says. He described her road to recovery as long and difficult, but said she is a fighter. Hospital staff say she remains in critical condition. A man has been charged over an alleged attack on her. Police say the motive is still not known. The Wangaratta mayor said the community is in collective shock and sadness.
