Arabic version: حادثة هاينز تعمّق المخاوف بشأن سلامة السياسيين
According to ABC News, independent MP Helen Haines suffered critical injuries after a four-wheel drive struck her outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, regional Victoria. Haines, 65, has represented the Victorian electorate of Indi since 2019. A man is in custody and police are investigating; it is too early to determine whether the alleged actions were politically motivated.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “This wasn’t an accident,” as political figures across the spectrum expressed horror and wished Haines a full recovery. The incident has renewed attention on the accessibility of Australian politicians, who routinely meet constituents through electorate offices, door-knocking, mobile offices and community events.
The Australian Federal Police received 1,067 reports of threatening, harassing, nuisance or offensive behaviour involving federal parliamentarians, high office holders and protected locations in the past financial year. That was a 12 per cent rise on the previous year and nearly double the 555 reports recorded in 2021-22. The figures cover more than MPs and senators and do not all involve credible threats of violence.
Former AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw told a parliamentary committee last year that some male politicians had received bullets in the mail, while female parliamentarians had faced threats of sexual violence, sometimes extending to their children. AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said this month that politicians and high office holders would continue to be targeted by people with grievances, with some seeking an ideological motivation to attach to them.
ABC News reported that One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, Liberal MP Andrew Hastie and Labor minister Anne Aly have each publicly raised security concerns or threats. Police have established specialist investigative teams, while security arrangements for politicians have received greater scrutiny. The investigation into the incident involving Haines continues.
