Anne Aly has condemned as “racist” and “misogynistic” comments in parliament calling for her to be “stoned in the square” – while revealing she has received ۱۹ death threats in the last week alone.
Gold Coast Liberal National MP, Angie Bell, the member for Moncrieff, told the House of Representatives that Aly, the small business minister, and the prime minister should be “shamed and stoned in the square” over a decision made by the tax office.
Bell was forced to withdraw the comment by the speaker.
On Instagram, Aly responded with an emotive post-to-camera, saying she had been the subject of consistent death threats, including previous threats that she should be stoned.
“I don’t usually comment about these sorts of things, but I feel like I have to. This past week alone, I’ve had ۱۹ death threats on my social media. And in the past I’ve had death threats that are couched in that exact same language: stone her.”
Aly said that the comments directed at her were not just unparliamentary, but fundamentally inimical to Australian values.
“We are a country that proudly stands against violence against women and against regimes that use brutal methods like stoning against women.
“This is not just something that we should just turn away from.
“It is racist. It is misogynistic. And it is something that should never have been said.”
Bell made the remarks before question time on Tuesday as part of an opposition attack on the government over the Australian Tax Office’s decision to ban credit card payments used to pay tax bills.
Bell said millions of Australians were employed by small businesses, and would be harmed by the decision.
“This minister and this prime minister should be absolutely shamed and stoned in the square,” she said.
Bell was forced by the speaker to withdraw the comments after the government’s leader of the house, Tony Burke, raised concerns with what he said was “physically violent imagery”.
Australia – like other liberal democracies – has experienced a dramatic rise in threats against politicians and other public figures.
More than ۵۰ police reports on a range of alleged criminal offences were made during the last federal election campaign and the Australian Federal Police received ۹۵۱ referrals or threats against parliamentarians in the ۲۰۲۴-۲۵ financial year, an increase of more than ۶۰% in just four years.
Last year, AFP commissioner, Reece Kershaw, told Senate estimates that female politicians were particular targets, and that “the nature of threats and comments directed at female parliamentarians and high office holders is particularly troubling, with a common feature being offensive material centred on derogatory language about their appearance”.
“Some of this material also contains extremely violent themes, including threats of graphic, sexual violence,” he said.
“These threats, which are being made online or are being sent in the post or over the phone, are sometimes also directed at their children.”
Kershaw said politicians were targeted because of their public profiles, or because of their policy positions.
“However, in some cases, it appears male offenders are targeting women because they are women. The AFP will not tolerate this criminality and will take swift action.”
