Man charged over threats at Australian lawmaker’s office, days after attack on another MP
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The incident took place at the electoral office of state lawmaker Hannah Beazley, a member of Australia’s ruling Labor Party.
PHOTO: HANNAH BEAZLEY MLA/FACEBOOK
- Australian police charged a 56-year-old man over threats and nunchucks at Hannah Beazley’s office. He also faces cannabis charges and will appear in court on Oct 22.
- The case follows the car attack on MP Helen Haines, who lost both legs. The motive is still unknown, and police say the inquiry is ongoing.
- The attacks have raised fears about politician safety and harsher debate. Threats against lawmakers doubled from 2021 to 2025, with 1,067 incidents reported in 2025.
AI generated
SYDNEY – Australian police said on Oct 22 that they had charged a man over threatening behaviour at a lawmaker’s office, days after an attack on a parliamentarian that has put a spotlight on the security of elected officials.
The 56-year-old was arrested on Oct 21 after he allegedly made threats and brandished a pair of nunchucks, Western Australian state police said.
The incident took place at the electoral office of state lawmaker Hannah Beazley, a member of Australia’s ruling Labor Party, local media said.
The man has been charged with making threats as well as possession of cannabis and will face court on Oct 22, police said.
The incident came days after lawmaker Helen Haines was struck by a car outside her office in the rural town of Wangaratta, north-east of Melbourne.
Surgeons had amputated both her legs, her husband Phil Haines told journalists on Oct 21.
Haines’ alleged attacker faced court on Oct 21.
The incident has prompted soul-searching in a country where political violence is rare, but where police have documented a steady rise in threats and abuse towards elected officials in recent years.
The attacker’s motive remains unknown and the authorities have said they will not speculate while the investigation is ongoing.
But the attack has prompted calls for a dialling-down of the temperature of political debate.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn – King Charles III’s official representative in Australia – said the nation was crying out for “decency”.
“Australians are yearning for kindness and care, and they’re asking us why we’ve lost the great skill of disagreeing well,” Mostyn said on Oct 21.
Threats against Australian lawmakers and electorate offices doubled between 2021 and 2025, with 1,067 incidents reported to police in 2025.
Federal lawmakers and their staff were briefed on security on Oct 21 by Australia’s spy agency and the federal police.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Oct 22 that there has been a “normalisation of behaviour that can be very aggressive” in recent years.
“It was incredibly unusual for there to be people charged with threatening MPs 10 years ago,” he told ABC Sydney radio. AFP