The alleged attack this week on federal MP Helen Haines has prompted Victoria's premier, Ben Carroll, to meet police and the electoral commissioner to discuss stronger protections, while female state politicians describe being on "high alert" over threats that are sexualised, violent and aimed at their families.
On Monday, Haines, the independent federal member for Indi, was allegedly attacked by a constituent in her regional Victorian electorate. That night, Victorian upper house MP Georgie Purcell, whose region partly overlaps with Haines's federal seat, posted a statement in support of Haines. Purcell wrote that being a woman in politics had changed the way she moved through the world: where she parked her car, which route she took home, and whether she held public events at all.
Purcell said a constituent responded to her statement saying he wished it had happened to her, and another later told her: "You should be scared." She reported both comments, but said there is "nothing else she can do" because the threats lack the specificity police require to take further action. With five weeks until the Victorian election, and 10 days of prepoll approaching, she said anyone wanting to target a candidate or MP would not struggle to work out where they are.
Nationals MP Annabelle Cleeland, whose electorate of Euroa covers 11,452 square kilometres, said she shares her live location with her husband and staff when on the road. "I don't feel like I signed up for this job to put my children in harm's way and, right now, I'm frightened about that," she told ABC Radio Melbourne. "It's sexualised, it's violent and they target your weaknesses and your vulnerabilities: your children, your home."
The article notes that threats to MPs intensified during Victoria's prolonged Covid lockdowns and have remained constant since. During the pandemic, an effigy of then premier Daniel Andrews was subjected to a mock execution on the steps of parliament. Andrews later said his family was being threatened. His successor, Jacinta Allan, also faced hostility, particularly in regional Victoria over the emergency services levy and transmission project laws. At the 2025 Bush Summit, Allan was relentlessly heckled, including by an audience member who stood on a chair with a noose around her neck, and a mobile billboard carrying "ditch the witch" with AI-generated images of Allan toured central Melbourne. A former Allan staffer said the former premier "legitimately feared for her safety", telling them: "Someone is going to be killed."
Purcell said that in Canberra, the Australian federal police manage threats against federal MPs, building intelligence over time, while in Victoria individual complaints are dealt with separately by police. That may now change. On Wednesday, Carroll met the Victorian electoral commissioner, chief commissioner of police Mike Bush, and cabinet to discuss stronger measures. "This work will happen progressively and as soon as possible. What has happened must be a turning point for political debate in Victoria and around Australia," Carroll said.
Bush said police wanted "a single-stop shop" to report threats and "the ability to be very proactive". As of Thursday afternoon, changes had not been communicated to MPs, who have been asked to attend a police briefing on Friday. For now, guidance from the Department of Parliamentary Services tells them to monitor and control access to their electorate offices, check external areas on CCTV before leaving, and remember that a duress button is available in an emergency. Some politicians have cautioned against heavier security, arguing it would "let bad people win" and that they do not want to be "locked off" from their communities.