Man Charged After Threatening State Lawmaker Following Attack on Federal Lawmaker
A man was charged with threatening state parliament member Hannah Beazley with nunchucks, days after federal lawmaker Helen Haines was seriously injured in a vehicle attack.
Police in Perth charged a man on Thursday with possessing an offensive weapon and threatening to commit an unlawful act after he entered state parliament member Hannah Beazley's office demanding to see her. The suspect was held overnight and is scheduled to appear in court later that day.
The incident follows the Monday vehicle attack on federal lawmaker Helen Haines in Victoria, in which the driver, Brendan Nugent, faced charges of intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and harming a federal official. Haines, 65, remains in critical condition at a Melbourne hospital after surgeons amputated both of her legs.
Both events have heightened concerns about the safety of female politicians, who now make up nearly half of federal lawmakers and a majority of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Cabinet. Albanese described the threat against Beazley as "heartbreaking" and warned against a rise in violent rhetoric.
Beazley said two staff members were "rattled" but stayed behind a security screen, and she could not determine the man's motives. Governor-General Sam Mostyn, the second woman to hold the position, noted that women in public roles often face targeted online abuse.