‘Turn down the temperature’: PM calls for civility after online death threats
Anthony Albanese has appealed for more respect in political discourse, saying Australia risks following other nations into dangerous territory after he received death threats online.
Anthony Albanese has appealed to his parliamentary colleagues and media outlets to “turn down the temperature” of political debate after receiving death threats on social media, warning that public discourse has grown dangerously toxic.
Queensland man Norman Dean Lake was arrested at a property at Newport, north of Brisbane, on Saturday morning after allegedly threatening on social media to kill the Prime Minister.
Australian Federal Police executed a search warrant at the property and charged Mr Lake with using a carriage service to make a threat to kill, an offence punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear in a Brisbane court on Wednesday.
Speaking in Canberra on Monday, Mr Albanese declined to comment on the specific case but warned that threats against public figures had “elevated substantially”, and urged greater civility in political discourse.
“We have seen in other countries – in the United States, in the United Kingdom – we have seen public figures, whether they be politicians or other public figures, targeted,” he told reporters.
“I have consistently said we need to, wherever possible, turn down the temperature of debate and to agree and disagree respectfully as much as is possible.”
Mr Albanese reflected that the threats levelled against politicians, including himself, had “meant changes to what I’m able to do and how I’m able to do it”.
“Increasingly, the number of reports that I receive are substantial … I like the idea that I can go get dog food for Toto at Woolworths. I like the idea that during the campaign I can walk through shopping centres and walk through malls,” he said.
“We don’t want to lose that. It’s a great thing about Australians and a great thing about our country.”
In July, the Australian Federal Police arrested a Sydney man, Alexander Philip David Keating, over death threats he allegedly made against Mr Albanese on social media between February 20 and March 3.
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