Arabic version: رئيسة الشرطة الفيدرالية تربط الخطاب السياسي بالتهديدات ضد النواب
According to ABC News, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett says there is a direct correlation between inflammatory political discourse and threats and abuse directed at federal parliamentarians. Barrett told Insiders that harassment of MPs regularly increases after periods of heated debate and that the effect can sometimes be immediate.
Barrett said the AFP did not want to restrict free speech or interfere in legitimate political debate, but law enforcement had a role when rhetoric escalated into violent threats. Asked whether One Nation cartoons depicting politicians being hit by cars could be the type of discourse she meant, she said such examples could prompt a reaction in the community. “Words matter,” Barrett said.
Her comments follow an attack outside independent MP Helen Haines’s Wangaratta electorate office last week. Haines, the member for Indi, remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition after having both legs amputated. Brendan Nugent, 43, has been arrested and charged in relation to the attack. Barrett said investigators were working to establish a motive, a process that could take weeks or months, including determining whether the incident was directly linked to Haines’s role as a federal parliamentarian.
Barrett said the AFP would continue to brief MPs and their staff on security arrangements, while parliamentarians would need to make their own decisions about personal safety. She defended resources devoted to protecting elected representatives and said the priority was flexibility to evolve capabilities, invest in technology and respond to changing threats. Personal duress alarms were among measures being considered, although she said calling Triple Zero remained the most effective emergency option.
As federal parliament returns to Canberra on Monday, shadow cabinet minister Ted O’Brien said politicians would reflect on the tone of debate. Labor frontbencher Catherine King said security arrangements at Parliament House might be reassessed, while noting parliamentarians were already well supported by the AFP.
