Albanese Vows Swift Response on MP Safety and Considers Panic Buttons for Electorate Offices

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised a "swift government response" to safety threats facing federal politicians, and says duress alarms for electorate offices are among the measures being considered. He told politicians and their staff had put up with threats for too long.

Albanese made the pledge in the Labor partyroom, the first such meeting since the alleged attack last week on Indi MP Dr Helen Haines. Members from across the political divide have since called for stronger protection of their offices and raised alarm about threats and violence aimed at staff. Some politicians have also described the scale of abuse they receive online and offline, including death and rape threats.

In a lengthy address, Albanese said this week "must be a turning point" for civil discourse and for how threats are handled. He accepted that more investment in security was needed, saying MPs had had to "put up with the threat environment for too long" and that "more can and should be done". He added: "I'm determined to make sure we do everything for your safety and the safety of your staff as well."

He gave no detailed plan, but noted that many MPs had asked about duress alarms, also known as panic buttons, which would alert authorities to a safety incident. He described this as one of a "series of options" under consideration. Home affairs minister Tony Burke told the meeting the government was also examining safety at polling booths around election time.

Government sources said several changes were being weighed and that a fuller proposal was likely to be released in coming days. Concerns raised by MPs include tougher security at electorate offices, better communication with federal police, and resources such as CCTV and lighting for politicians' private homes. Labor will also speed up an ongoing review of commonwealth workplaces, with recommendations on safety and security due soon.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor told his Coalition partyroom of continuing talks with the government on personal safety and the importance of getting it right. He did not put forward any specific proposals.

Separately, senator Fatima Payman, who left Labor in 2024 to join the crossbench, criticised the prime minister on Monday night for not responding to her request for more staff. The prime minister has discretion over personal staff, who are typically more senior advisers. An internal document tabled at a Senate estimates hearing showed Payman has no such advisers, while 16 other crossbench MPs and senators share 30.

Payman asked minister Don Farrell whether the shortfall reflected a personal grievance held by Albanese, and said her staff were severely overworked. "Is the prime minister waiting for something, like what happened to Dr Helen Haines, to occur to my office? To me?" she asked. Farrell and other Labor senators strongly rejected the suggestion, but Payman declined to withdraw the remarks until her request was dealt with.

Payman told Guardian Australia last week that death threats and hate comments had risen sharply since she left Labor in 2024. She said her office manager opened mail last year containing human faeces, which required a biohazard team to respond. "No office or no worker should ever have to deal with that kind of crap," she said.