Security upgrades will be fast-tracked at electorate offices of at least nine MPs in the wake of the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines, as new figures expose the torrent of online abuse and death threats directed at Australian politicians.
By Tegan George
Tue 27 Oct 2026 12.40 AEDT
Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Security upgrades will be fast-tracked at electorate offices of at least nine MPs in the wake of the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines, as new figures expose the torrent of online abuse and death threats directed at Australian politicians.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher revealed Labor MPs and senators had turned to AI to monitor their social media accounts, with analysis finding almost 5,000 threats and violent comments were directed at 22 Labor politicians in just three months.
“It’s not just about politicians’ working life. What’s happening to us is no different to what’s happening to a lot of other workers across Australia,” she said.
“And I guess we’re trying to make the point that enough’s enough.”
The tool analysed more than 460,000 comments between July and October 2026, with almost half classified as abusive.
One politician alone was subjected to 57,522 such comments.
“I think we’ve always put up with some pretty robust feedback in politics, certainly in my time in politics,” she said on ABC Radio RN Breakfast.
“But the volume, the scale, and the forcefulness of the threats and the violence and the abusive language is something that I haven’t seen.”
Minister Gallagher said most politicians using the AI tool were women.
“The nature of abuse towards women members of Parliament is slightly different. So, it tends to be more sexualised in nature, more threats around harming your children and your family,” she said.
Housing Minister Clare O’Neil told the ABC someone had posted “You’re next s**t” on her social media account just two days after a man allegedly rammed his car into Dr Haines outside her Wangaratta electorate office.
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“Female MPs shouldn’t have to have a program that screens for death and rape threats, but that’s where we are,” she said.
The revelations come as the lower house is due to debate Labor’s Digital Duty of Care legislation.
The proposed laws would require online platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent serious harm or face fines of more than $100 million.
Shadow Communications Minister Sarah Henderson has described the proposal as a “blatant assault on free speech”.
Despite the Coalition’s objections, a poll commissioned by the Australia Institute found 93 per cent of Australians supported requiring online platforms to provide a safe environment free from illegal and harmful content.
Facebook had the highest proportion of abusive comments at 51 per cent, compared with 42 per cent on Instagram and 21 per cent on TikTok.
The AI tool identifies and hides personal attacks, including one politician being called a “brain dead b***h”.
Others contained more explicit threats and references to violence, including “Someone shoot this dopey b***h please” and “I prefer assassinations”.
Senator Gallagher rejected suggestions the tool could censor robust feedback, but warned online abuse was having a “chilling effect” on genuine community engagement.
“The chances are you’re going to be piled on from the people who are piling onto that account, and so people are not engaging with us in those formats because it’s not safe for them either,” she said.
