Domestic tensions fuel violent threats to federal politicians

An alarming trend shows instances of violent threats directed at federal politicians is on the rise.

Reported threats against Australian federal politicians have skyrocketed over the past year by more than 40 per cent according to new figures released on Wednesday.

The Australian Federal Police revealed that more than 1000 cases of harassment, nuisance and offensive or threatening communications were reported this year alone. This follows an alarming trend of increased threats to MPs and their staff.

Reports jumped from 709 in 2022-23 to 1009 in 2023-24. Over the last 4 years there was a whopping 250 per cent jump in reported threats.

Domestic tensions over last year’s Voice referendum and the Middle-East conflict between Israel and Hamas have only exacerbated the issue. Earlier this year Jewish federal Labor MP Josh Burns was targeted in what was described as a “politically motivated attack”.

The slogan "Zionism is Fascism" was sprayed on the electoral office of Australian federal Labor Party member of parliament Josh Burns. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

His electorate office in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda was vandalised with the phrase “Zionism is Fascism”, before the perpetrators used kerosene to set fire to the building.

Labor backbencher Peter Khalil faced similar attacks in October when his Melbourne electorate office was spray-painted, with staff evacuated after an unknown substance was poured under the door.

Mr Khalil who was appointed as a special envoy for social cohesion said, “This is one of the major challenges to our cohesion, that people think it’s OK to take these kinds of actions to express themselves.”

In an interview with The Nightly, Liberal senator Hollie Hughes detailed some of the “vile” emails she has received including one suggesting she should have aborted her disabled son.

“There is a level of sexual violence in the messages that many female MPs and Senators receive. I do believe conservative women bear the brunt of this type of behaviour,” she said.

The Australian Federal Police have released figures showing violent threats directed at federal MPs are on the rise. Picture: Supplied / AFP

Several people over the last few years have been charged by the AFP in relation to threats made against Australian politicians. Yesterday afternoon a South Australian man faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court after being charged with sending a series of harassing messages via email to Commonwealth employees.

AFP Commander Stephen Fry said the AFP had zero tolerance for threats or violence towards parliamentarians and the AFP worked closely with state law enforcement agencies to investigate such threats.

“We take seriously all reports regarding the safety and security of federal parliamentarians and people who work with them,” Commander Fry said.

“A threat of harm or violence against a federal parliamentarian is a criminal offence.”

Late last year independent senator Lidia Thorpe accused the AFP and Anthony Albanese of failing in their duties to protect her from fair right extremists.

Lidia Thorpe has been the subject of online threats and abuse from the far right. NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“His violent force that he has sent to protect me can’t even protect me, refuse to protect the blak sovereign woman because the police are part of the problem in this country,” she said.

“Four months I wasn’t allowed to be in my own home, because people want to kill me out there.”

The Department of Home Affairs earlier this year began a review into the protective security arrangements for parliamentarians.