Threats to Australia’s Federal politicians have jumped by more than 40 percent over a 12-month period.
New Australian Federal Police (AFP) figures show the agency received 1009 reports of incidents involving harassment, nuisance, offensive and threatening communications against parliamentarians in the 2023-24 financial year.
AFP Commander Stephen Fry said this was a 42 percent increase from the 709 matters reported to the AFP during the same period the previous year.
Commander Fry said in recent years, the AFP had charged several people with offences relating to individuals making threats to parliamentarians across the country.
“We take seriously all reports regarding the safety and security of federal parliamentarians and people who work with them,” he said.
“A threat of harm or violence against a federal parliamentarian is a criminal offence.”
Commander Fry said the AFP’s Specialist Protective Command (SPC), comprised of multiple teams and capabilities, worked together to safeguard Federal parliamentarians and high office holders.
He said this included highly visible uniformed security at places like Parliament House in Canberra and other official establishments.
“SPC uses intelligence-led threat, risk and vulnerability-based assessments to deliver a protective security overlay for Federal parliamentarians.
“In the 2023-24 financial year, SPC assessed about 20,000 individual movements of Commonwealth protected persons and provided support for more than 3600 events, including at protests across Australia.”
