‘Rape you, harm your children’: Female politicians reveal ‘supercharged’ threats

Women from across the political divide have revealed the rape and death threats they have received as they launch a network that they believe would make Helen Haines proud.

Women’s Minister Katy Gallagher on Thursday said the number of threats and abuse against female politicians is at unacceptable levels following the alleged deliberate attack against Haines last week.

“All members of parliament are being inundated with abuse and threats and often threats of physical harm and violence. But women get a lot get more of it and the nature of that abuse is more sexualised,” she said.

“It’s more about ‘we’re going to rape you. We’re going to harm your children’.”

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the political climate has become more “hostile and supercharged”.

“As a female politician, I am sadly no stranger to having to deal with rape and death threats being directed at me and also my family,” she said.

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“I have dealt with sexist and sexualised bullying both inside and outside the parliament chamber.

“Far too often as a woman in politics, criticism of policies or decisions are dressed up in sexist, demeaning and violet rhetoric rather than actual critique of the issue or what I have actually said.”

Shadow women’s minister Melissa McIntosh said the remarks have become so bad that female parliamentarians are trialling a new app that filters out abusive comments.

“The comments have become particularly sexualised, nasty, and threatening, not only to us but to our family members as well,” she said.

“And we don’t want it to get to a stage where we can’t walk the streets of our communities.”

Gallagher, Hanson-Young, McIntosh and crossbencher Rebekha Sharkie have established the Network of Women to bring together female politicians from all stripes.

It will be formally launched on November 24 with the event to raise money for Save the Children – the chosen charity of Haines.

Sharkie said Haines, who is a close friend of hers, would be happy about the network.

“Helen’s a dear friend of mine. Naturally, she’s a friend of every woman in this parliament, and without speaking on behalf of Helen, I can only think she would be really happy about this today,” she said.

“This is about bringing us together. This is about light in a time of darkness, and this is about the future.”

Haines remains in The Alfred in Melbourne in a serious but stable condition after she was struck by a car in what police allege was a deliberate attack outside the independent federal MP’s electorate office in regional Victoria.

Home Affairs data showed 1067 reports of harassing and threatening behaviour against various high office holders in the most recent financial year, up from 951 the year before.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said she has received 785 reports of abusive content about federal politicians in six months and found women were three times more likely to receive comments that was sexualised or gender-based.

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“Female parliamentarians from culturally and linguistically diverse communities were also more likely to experience frequent and varied offensive contact,” she told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday.

“In some cases, parliamentarians are being targeted because of their accent, what they look like, or their political party.”