Hypervigilant and isolated

Regional women in public office say staying safe while travelling vast distances on high alert is exhausting.

Annabelle Cleeland's unreliable safety net

State Euroa MP Annabelle Cleeland shares her live location with her team while travelling throughout her regional electorate in north-east Victoria, but poor phone reception in many areas makes this the only safety net unreliable.

The exhaustion of hypervigilance

Cleeland says women read people's energy well and often feel unsafe before danger strikes. She worries about her children being exposed to danger and says the abuse is deeply personal, targeting bodies and children.

“You are hypervigilant to a degree that it is so exhausting.”

Brazen abuse and lawlessness

Just days after independent federal Indi MP Helen Haines was attacked in her regional electorate of Wangaratta, police charged a man accused of making verbal threats while armed with nunchucks in Western Australian MP Hannah…

Nine in ten experience intimidation

A survey by not-for-profit Women for Election found nine in ten women in politics experienced intimidation or abuse. Chief executive Licia Heath said the findings should serve as a wake-up call for Australia.

“If capable women are choosing not to run, not to speak, or to leave public office because of relentless online abuse, Australian democracy is at risk.”

Disrespect towards women is rife

Animal Justice Party MP for Northern Victoria Georgie Purcell said she no longer felt safe at work. Patty Kinnersly, chief executive of Our Watch, said disrespect towards women was rife in algorithms and public narrative.

“Women in public office are almost without exception, being threatened with rape, the rape of their children, with murder.”

Democracy at risk from violence

Women MPs say the climate has changed in the last six months with brazen abuse and lawlessness around access to politicians.