Calls to beef up security for Victorian election in wake of Haines attack

Victorian state politicians have pleaded for increased security, in response to death threats and abuse that have made some MPs reluctant to attend pre-polling centres when they open in four weeks' time.

The ABC understands Premier Ben Carroll will meet with the Victorian electoral commissioner today to discuss security arrangements in the lead-up to the state's November 28 poll.

It is also understood the premier has called a special cabinet meeting to discuss safety concerns with elected members in the wake of Monday's attack on federal MP Helen Haines.

On Tuesday, Premier Ben Carroll said there was a "live conversation" between government, police and the electoral commission about boosting security at voting centres.

The ABC has spoken to more than a dozen state parliamentarians from across the political spectrum who all reported threats to their safety and that of their family, staff and volunteers.

Most wanted security to be ramped up and for state parliament and the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) to do more to protect them, warning that the tenor of debate was having a chilling effect on democracy.

There is a consensus among MPs that social media has escalated abuse and harassment, with some retiring from parliament or considering stepping back because of the constant stream of online hate.

Several MPs said threats and abuse directed at them and their staff had accelerated, particularly during the pandemic, when protesters performed a fake execution of an effigy of then premier Daniel Andrews on the steps of parliament.

At the time, security arrangements for Mr Andrews moved to around-the-clock protection, the ABC understands.

During her time as premier, Jacinta Allan worried an MP was going to be killed.

"I do not remember a time when our foundations have felt so unsteady,'' Ms Allan said in her last media appearance in August to announce her retirement.

"Social cohesion is under pressure. Public debate is deteriorating. The line between truth and lie is increasingly blurred."

Campaigning for the Victorian election paused on Tuesday out of respect for Ms Haines, which prompted Mr Carroll to reach out to state leaders including Opposition Leader Jess Wilson.

"Whether it's your volunteer wearing a red t-shirt or a blue t-shirt or a green t-shirt or an orange, let's just make sure that as leaders that respect civility is first and foremost," he told 774 ABC Melbourne on Tuesday morning.

Labor volunteers told not to campaign alone

The Labor Party has advised its volunteers to campaign in pairs, but preferably in larger groups and to remain alert to security risks.

MPs and ministers have repeatedly raised the alarm in cabinet and Labor caucus meetings, several sources said. Opposition MPs have also lobbied for increased security.

Some politicians were hesitant to attend pre-polling booths, which open 10 days before Victoria's November election.

Upper house Animal Justice MP Georgie Purcell said the situation was particularly dire for women with a profile.

"It does change the way you move about the world. I consider my movements everywhere I go for my physical safety and I can't do a lot of things other politicians, particularly men, can do,'' she told the ABC.

Ms Purcell, whose partner is federal Labor MP Josh Burns, said Victorian MPs needed to have the same security arrangements as their federal counterparts.

One parliamentarian felt frustrated that they did not receive protection like the prime minister or premier. "Don't make decisions on behalf of us when you get personal protection," they said.

A VEC spokesperson said maintaining safe elections was its priority, adding: "Political violence has no place in our democracy."

Abuse driving candidates, MPs out of politics

Broadcaster Tracee Hutchison said she endured gendered attacks when she contested the May by-election in Nepean as an independent candidate.

"One of the reasons I decided not to recontest in Nepean in November was because of the relentless sustained attacks on me, verbal abuse, online abuse, defacing of my political materials," Ms Hutchison told 774 ABC Melbourne on Tuesday.

Candidates and political parties reported that the mood had shifted at the last state election in 2022, shortly after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

"We were exposed to danger. We were not safe," Narre Warren South MP Gary Maas wrote in a submission to the parliament's review of the conduct of the election.

"As people grew tired towards the end of a two-week pre-poll, I was fearing that someone might get hurt."

Deakin University extremism expert Josh Roose said targeted threats to politicians and their electorate offices began to spike during the pandemic.

"One of the key drivers of that has been distrust in government," Dr Roose said.

He said people were profiting from a polarised environment.

"That might be economic capital, i.e. clicks, and traffic being driven and advertising dollars online, but it's also political capital. Political parties are exploiting quite raw emotion out there, driven by the cost-of-living crisis, affordability, even diesel prices in our regions. People are angry," Dr Roose said.

He said rural and regional communities were particularly vulnerable to radicalisation, and that this seemed to be correlated with poorer services.

Extremists have hijacked events with MPs, and sovereign citizens — who do not believe governments hold legitimate authorities to make laws — are an increasing risk.

Nationals MP Tim McCurdy, the state member for Ovens Valley, told radio station 3AW that the safety of politicians, especially women, needed to be addressed.  

"People have said to me, 'Do we need to up the ante with security?' Well, if that means bodyguards walking around with politicians, that's not the answer. I mean, we've got to be able to get out and do what we need to do in our communities," he said.

"We've still got to do our job, and that's what Helen was doing, walking down the street doing her job."

There were 48 security incidents recorded at Victorian Parliament between June 2025 and April 2026, a reduction on the year prior.

Security incidents at state electorate offices over the same period increased to 303.