AFP reveals nearly 800 threats against MPs in six months as Labor rushes to boost safety

Politicians will receive a safety boost that could include a wider use of emergency alarms, as the government fast-tracks a security review following last week’s attack on independent Helen Haines.

The Australian Federal Police has received almost 800 security complaints from federal politicians in the first six months of the year, commissioner Krissy Barrett revealed at Senate hearing Tuesday night as she vowed to “do better” to inform MPs of the progress of investigations.

Addressing his MPs on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “Last week was a turning point, and people have been putting up with this growing threat environment for too long”.

“More can and should be done. I understand you want to feel safe when you’re in the community and have better security at your office and your home. There are a series of options you have raised including duress alarms, and we are looking at all of it.”

MPs of all stripes attended briefings with intelligence agencies following the attack on Haines. Many aired their ongoing frustrations about how long it took for their security requests to be actioned, and several MPs also made requests about duress alarms.

This masthead revealed last week that the government was examining a major round of security upgrades for MPs’ homes, as well as swifter upgrades for offices and more proactive threat assessments from the AFP.

Barrett told the Senate’s legal and constitutional affairs hearings the AFP had received 785 protective security reports about federal parliamentarians, with 50 per cent directed to men, and 47 per cent to women. Three per cent were generic threats against politicians.

Albanese has asked for the parliament’s review of security to be fast-tracked, and requested Special Minister of State Don Farrell, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke work together on delivering a “swift government response”.

“I know so many of you have experienced an increase in aggressive and threatening behaviour online and in person. There have been vile threats towards you and your family and damage to your electorate offices,” Albanese said.

“This is particularly acute for women members of the caucus, who often receive vile and misogynistic threats to their safety and increased hatred online, often of a violent and sexual nature.

“I know how hard every single one of you works each day to ensure that we are accessible to our community and that people can speak to us… We need to do more to combat these threats.”

Last week’s four-wheel-drive attack on the independent MP has exposed long-running tensions between federal parliamentarians and the authorities responsible for protecting them.

Elected officials claim security agencies are too reactive and need to improve their communication with MPs to ensure politicians and their staff feel safe. But authorities have also expressed frustration with MPs who fail to follow protocol when flagging high-risk events or reporting incidents.

On Tuesday night, Barrett said the AFP needed to “do better in showing you how we take these threats seriously”, and that training and communication would be improved.

Female politicians were three times more likely to report sexualised or gender-based security concerns, Barrett said. Those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds also copped offensive content more frequently.

“It would be wrong to think only inflammatory comments are creating the flood of threats. In some
cases, just the debate causes the hate,” Barrett said.

“In some cases, parliamentarians are being targeted because of their accent, what they look like, or
their political party. The fact is this: at times there is an almost immediate link from a policy announcement or comment, to a threat being sent.”

The commissioner will soon meet with her state and territory counterparts to discuss politicians’ safety.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor also addressed the security concerns of MPs in a joint party room meeting of Coalition MPs on Tuesday morning, saying it was important to “get that right”.

Speaking in the House on Tuesday night, Albanese described the impending Digital Duty of Care bill as “a much-needed but moderate and common-sense response to a problem that is becoming more serious with every passing day”.

On Monday evening independent senator Fatima Payman stunned a parliamentary hearing by asking whether Albanese was waiting for a Haines-style attack against her to provide her with comparable staffing levels to other senators. Payman refused to withdraw her comments unless provided additional staff.

Payman has long petitioned the prime minister for additional staffing, and was one of four independent and crossbench MPs to tell this masthead their staff were suffering under a deluge of vitriol coming into their offices.