ACT politicians speak out on abuse, death threats after Haines attack

Canberra MLAs describe being spat at, receiving misogynistic abuse and a hand-delivered death threat as safety concerns rise across Australia.

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published25 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Several members of the ACT Legislative Assembly have detailed the abuse they endure as politicians, from being spat at to receiving a hand-delivered death threat naming a colleague's family, in the wake of the attack on federal independent MP Helen Haines outside her Victorian electorate office on Monday.

Canberra Liberals MLA and former ACT opposition leader Elizabeth Lee said she has had to contact police twice over "very serious threats" she received. "I had a death threat that named my daughter and my partner, and it was actually dropped at my front gate, so it came to my house," Ms Lee recalled. "That was a pretty scary moment, and it does actually question, to me, as a parent especially, whether it's worth it."

Ms Lee said the incident came on top of many sexist and racist comments she has received online over the past decade. "Belittling criticism on a personal level. Criticisms on my weight and my body shape as well, what I'm wearing sometimes," she said. The mother of two daughters said she tried to find a balance between ignoring the comments and calling them out to show her girls such behaviour was unacceptable.

ACT Health Minister Marisa Paterson has also had some "pretty horrible" encounters. "Yelling abuse at you, names at you," Ms Paterson said. "I've been spat at; I've had things like that happen, standing outside the front of the shops and I've had people make violent threats to me face-to-face." She said the abuse, both in person and online, was a "disturbing part of the job" that made her "feel very vulnerable," adding that it was "predominantly men." Online abuse had "ramped up" over the past 18 months "very, very significantly."

For Greens MLA Laura Nuttall, her sexuality, gender and appearance are often targeted on social media. "I have had my sexuality speculated on and then sort of taken through the mud. I've copped a bit of queerphobic abuse, which is never fun," she said. Ms Nuttall said that while most interactions with the public are positive, some encounters have been genuinely frightening, and she "would be lying" if she said the attack on Ms Haines hadn't scared her.

Independent MLA Thomas Emerson said he had seen his female counterparts cop far more abuse than he and his male colleagues did. "Some of the men get criticised as well, but I think criticism on the basis of policy or disagreeing is really critical, that's part of our democracy," Mr Emerson said. He said there was more political leaders could do to lead by example, and noted that "rage gets clicks."

Ms Lee agreed that "we all need to take responsibility as a society," including political leaders, the media and social media companies. Despite the risks, these ACT MLAs are determined to remain publicly available to constituents. "It is absolutely the key part of my job that I love," Ms Paterson said.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

The attack on federal MP Helen Haines has prompted a renewed national conversation about the safety of elected representatives in Australia, highlighting the personal risks they face.
The abuse described by ACT MLAs, including death threats and misogynistic and queerphobic harassment, may deter talented individuals from entering or remaining in politics.
The trend of rising online abuse and physical threats threatens the accessibility of representatives and the health of democratic discourse.

Background

The attack on federal independent MP Helen Haines occurred outside her Victorian electorate office on Monday. Brendan Nugent, 43, allegedly ran her down, leading to both her legs being amputated. The motive is not yet clear. The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of elected representatives across Australia. Zotpaper previously reported that Ms Haines is in critical condition and is the independent MP for Indi.

Key Perspectives

Elizabeth Lee (Canberra Liberals MLA): Says she has had to contact police twice over "very serious threats" including a death threat dropped at her front gate that named her daughter and partner, and that she has questioned whether to stay in politics. Marisa Paterson (ACT Health Minister): Says she has been spat at and received violent threats face-to-face, and that online abuse has "ramped up" significantly over the past 18 months. Laura Nuttall (Greens MLA): Says she has received queerphobic abuse and had her sexuality speculated on, and that the attack on Ms Haines has scared her. Thomas Emerson (Independent MLA): Says his female colleagues face far more abuse than male colleagues, and criticises politicians who allow policy disagreement to "devolve into denigrating the people we're disagreeing with."

What to Watch

Whether any Australian jurisdiction introduces new security measures or support for elected representatives.
The ongoing investigation into the attack on Helen Haines, including any further details about the alleged offender's motive.
The potential for a broader public debate about the role of social media platforms in amplifying abusive content aimed at politicians.

Sources

Hand-delivered death threat, being spat at among abuse ACT politicians cop · ABC News

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe headline says ACT politicians spoke out after the attack on Helen Haines.Just In: “Several members of the ACT Legislative Assembly have spoken out about the abuse they’ve been subjected to, following the attack on federal independent MP Helen Haines outside her Victorian electorate office on Monday.”
SupportedThe opening says the attack on Haines happened outside her Victorian electorate office on Monday.Just In: “following the attack on federal independent MP Helen Haines outside her Victorian electorate office on Monday”
Partly supportedThe summary says safety concerns are rising across Australia.Just In: “But the incident has renewed concerns about the safety of elected representatives across Australia”
SupportedThe summary says ACT politicians described being spat at and receiving misogynistic abuse.Just In: “I’ve been spat at; I’ve had things like that happen, standing outside the front of the shops and I’ve had people make violent threats to me face-to-face.”
SupportedThe summary says a hand-delivered death threat named a colleague’s family.Just In: “I had a death threat that named my daughter and my partner, and it was actually dropped at my front gate, so it came to my house”
SupportedLee said the death threat named her daughter and partner and was dropped at her front gate.Just In: “I had a death threat that named my daughter and my partner, and it was actually dropped at my front gate, so it came to my house,”
SupportedLee said she had contacted police twice over very serious threats.Just In: “Elizabeth Lee said she has had to contact police twice over “very serious threats” she received.”
Partly supportedLee said she had received sexist and racist online comments over the past decade.Just In: “The incident came on top of the many sexist and racist comments she has received online over the past decade of representing her community.”
SupportedPaterson said she had been spat at and faced violent threats in person outside shops.Just In: “I’ve been spat at; I’ve had things like that happen, standing outside the front of the shops and I’ve had people make violent threats to me face-to-face.”
SupportedPaterson said the abuse was predominantly from men.Just In: “It’s predominantly men. In fact, all of my examples are men,”
SupportedNuttall said her sexuality had been speculated about and she had experienced queerphobic abuse.Just In: “I have had my sexuality speculated on and then sort of taken through the mud. I’ve copped a bit of queerphobic abuse, which is never fun.”
Partly supportedEmerson said he had seen female colleagues receive far more abuse than he and his male colleagues.Just In: “Independent MLA Thomas Emerson said he had seen his female counterparts cop far more abuse, particularly online, than he and his male colleagues did.”