A man has been charged after allegedly threatening staff and waving nunchucks at the electoral office of Western Australia's minister for local government, Hannah Beazley. No one was injured in the incident.
Electoral staff at Beazley's office in Victoria Park, Perth, called police after a man caused a disturbance on Wednesday afternoon. Police said they received reports that a man had made verbal threats while possessing "improvised weapons" described as "nunchucks".
Police arrested a 56-year-old man nearby and took him into custody. On Thursday, he was charged with carrying a weapon in a manner likely to cause fear, unlawful threats and possession of cannabis. Bail was denied, and he was due to appear before the Perth court on Thursday.
Beazley was not in the office at the time of the incident. Speaking to journalists on Wednesday evening, she said her staff were "shaken" by the "confrontational situation". "He was allegedly behaving very threateningly. He wanted access to me, I believe, but we do not know his motives," Beazley said.
She highlighted that two staff members were in the office and that the man allegedly tried to lean through the security screen, but her employees were at a safe distance. "It is not the first time I have received threats," she added. "My primary concern is the welfare of my staff. It was very distressing for them. They called the police."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that Hannah Beazley is a friend "because I am a good friend of her father", former Labor defence minister Kim Beazley. Albanese told Perth radio on Thursday: "It is too prevalent. That is not what we as Australians are. We can have discussions and debates and resolve those issues at the ballot box."
Governor-General Sam Mostyn, speaking generally on Thursday, reflected on the gender dynamics of threats and abuse directed at women in high positions. "As with every woman who has taken on any role in any part of our society, there is a unique and malicious form of attack that comes towards us," she told ABC TV.
"I still receive it online. In fact, this morning I was disappointed to see some comments on my own Instagram page, in capital letters with profanity, which once again question the very nature of what I do." She added: "Women across the country know that there are certain things reserved for women... which relate to our gender and are often malicious and simply disgusting."
A commemorative gathering for Haines was held in Wodonga on Wednesday evening. It was revealed that the member had lost both legs following an alleged attack on Monday. Her predecessor as the federal member for Indi, Cathy McGowan, said on the sidelines of the event that the community was dealing with "mixed emotions".
McGowan spent time with Haines's staff and stated that "everyone was crying together because of the emotions that had built up". "People here tonight do not want violence... but that does not mean that when violence happens in their communities they know what to do," she said. "There is a lot of violence in our communities, a lot of violence online... nothing new about that."
She added: "What the attack on Helen has brought to our attention is, that is us. We cannot just pretend that everything is fine in the regions and that we are doing well."
