Politicians would receive bolstered police protection and security for homes and offices under options being weighed by Labor to address mounting safety concerns after the attack on Helen Haines.
Parliament will hold a dedicated session of tributes for Haines on Monday, according to sources in the Albanese government, but Labor will still push forward its legislative agenda on taxing trusts, the digital duty of care, and keeping gas onshore.
MPs have privately noted an increase in erratic behaviour at electorate offices since the Haines attack, though it is not clear if this is due to increased reporting.
Monday’s four-wheel-drive attack on the independent MP has exposed long-running tensions between federal parliamentarians and the authorities responsible for protecting them.
Elected officials claim security agencies are too reactive and need to modernise their communication with MPs to ensure politicians and their staff feel safe. But authorities have also expressed frustration with MPs who fail to follow protocol when flagging high-risk events or reporting incidents.
The solutions currently being contemplated would probably have done little to stop what authorities believe was an opportunistic, rather than planned, attack on Haines.