Man charged over threats at Australian lawmaker’s office
The 56-year-old was arrested after brandishing a pair of nunchucks at the electoral office of a ruling Labor Party member.
Australian police charged a 56-year-old man on Thursday with threatening behaviour at the electoral office of state lawmaker Hannah Beazley in Western Australia. The incident occurred days after an attack on lawmaker Helen Haines, who had both legs amputated outside her office in Wangaratta, northeast of Melbourne. The arrested man allegedly made threats and displayed nunchucks at Beazley's office.
He has been charged with making threats and possession of cannabis. Police will present the case in court on Thursday. The attacks have highlighted the rising security concerns for elected officials in Australia, where political violence is rare but threats and abuse against lawmakers have increased in recent years. The attacker's motive remains unknown.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn called for increased decency and kindness in political discourse, urging Australians to return to constructive debate. Threats against Australian lawmakers and electoral offices doubled between 2021 and 2025, with 1,067 incidents reported to police in 2025. Federal lawmakers and their staff received security briefings on Wednesday from Australia's spy agency and the federal police.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that such aggressive behavior was unusual in recent years, noting the rarity of charges against individuals threatening MPs a decade ago.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
