Two arrested after One Nation volunteer allegedly attacked with baseball bat in Victoria

Victoria Police said investigators had been told the two males allegedly assaulted the victim at a property on Scorpio Street about 7.45pm on Sunday. The Guardian quoted a police spokesperson as saying it was believed they allegedly assaulted the man with a baseball bat before being arrested by attending units a short time later.

The alleged attack comes during the campaign for the Victorian state election on 28 November, and amid what the BBC describes as a reckoning over the tone of political debate following the attack on federal MP Helen Haines last month, which left her needing both of her legs amputated. The BBC reports that politicians, law enforcement and experts have said heated public discourse is heightening the threat of political violence in the country.

The Guardian reported that the man arrested, from Hampton Park, was charged with intentionally causing injury and other assault-related offences and was remanded in custody to appear again on 10 November. The boy was issued with a caution.

One Nation's Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, said the alleged attack was on a party volunteer and described it as "un-Australian and unacceptable". He alleged the incident began when the man and the boy "interfered with" the One Nation signs on the volunteer's property.

"Political violence or intimidation of any kind against anyone is unacceptable in this country," Pickering said. "If you don't like someone's politics, you vote accordingly. You don't assault them."

Victorian Premier Ben Carroll described the alleged incident as "shocking" and said violence should never occur on the campaign trail.

"Whether you're wearing a red, a blue, an orange, or a green T-shirt, they are volunteers," Carroll said. "They are out there doing what they believe is right, and no one should be coming under attack." He added: "Let's have a civil, peaceful election."

One Nation's federal leader, Pauline Hanson, and the party's Victorian deputy leader, Colleen Harkin, were expected to visit the man in hospital on Tuesday morning, the Guardian reported.

Police are also searching for a woman as part of an investigation into an incident involving the Liberal party MP Georgie Crozier last month. Police said the 62-year-old was handing out flyers with volunteers outside a supermarket on Bay Street in Port Melbourne on 17 October when she was approached by an unknown woman who appeared substance affected, and that a short time later a vehicle mounted a gutter near the group before swerving towards nearby traffic lights and leaving the scene. Those involved were "shaken" but not physically injured, police said, and an image of a woman who may be able to assist the investigation has been released.

The Guardian reports that MPs in Victoria are on high alert in the lead-up to the 28 November election. Last week, the state's emergency services minister, Paul Edbrooke, told reporters he believed he was being followed and feared for his family's safety after a bullet etched with the word "RAT" and his former firefighter number was left on his car. The Animal Justice party MP Georgie Purcell and the Nationals MP Annabelle Cleeland have also raised concerns about threats.