AFP chief says politicians' heated rhetoric is fuelling threats against MPs

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett has drawn a direct link between politicians' rhetoric and the threats and abuse directed at the country's leaders and MPs. She made the comments on Sunday, after independent federal MP Helen Haines was allegedly deliberately attacked outside her electoral office in Wangaratta, Victoria. The incident has put the safety of elected representatives at all levels in the spotlight.

Haines remains in a serious but stable condition at the Alfred hospital in Melbourne after having both legs amputated.

Scale of the threats

Speaking on the ABC's Insiders program, Barrett said she begins each working day by reading a report summarising threats reported to the AFP over the previous 24 hours. Some days, she said, the report runs to pages and pages. She stressed she has no interest in policing free speech or intervening in political debate, but argued that the threats and abuse reported by federal parliamentarians cannot be called free speech or political discourse.

According to the commissioner, the shift from physical hate mail to online threats has significantly increased the volume of concerning material. She also pointed to the influence of inflammatory political imagery and language: periods of political conflict correlate directly with threats and abuse, sometimes almost immediately. Past One Nation party cartoons showing political figures, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, being hit by cars or buses have resurfaced since the alleged attack on Haines. Barrett said there was a reaction in the community to such material.

The AFP, which is responsible for protecting federal politicians and office-holders, has held several emergency safety briefings with parliamentarians since Monday. Male and female MPs are targeted equally, Barrett said, but women are more often singled out individually, frequently with threats of sexual violence.

Views from MPs

Liberal frontbencher Ted O'Brien said he does not want to stop attending community events, calling open access a cornerstone of democracy. Labor minister Catherine King said the safety situation has been deteriorating for some time and that an incident involving one of them was a matter of when, not if. She no longer uses her mobile caravan because it has no second exit.