WA minister shares vile voice message as concerns grow over MPs’ safety

Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk has shared a vulgar message left on her office answering machine in a demonstration of the regular vitriol West Australian MPs and their electorate office staff face.

Speaking at a Business News breakfast on Tuesday morning, McGurk vented her frustration at the current state of political debate in Australia, revealing the frequent aggression MPs and political staff received.

The message shared by McGurk was from an American man seemingly upset at the member for Fremantle’s past commentary about US politics.

He opens with the greeting, “Hello, you horrible f—-ing witch”, before telling her to “shut up about American politics”, and describes Australia as a “prison colony” and “inbred”.

McGurk said it was important people understood the sort of vitriol and aggression that many elected representatives and their staff received.

“I think women get it in particular, but it really does extend to a lot of elected representatives,” she said.

“It’s really vulgar. It’s aggressive. It’s unacceptable by any measure. Sadly, that then extends to real life, where in my electorate office we will often get calls.”

McGurk said on Monday afternoon a staff member was called an “f—ing c—” over the phone.

“Staff that are working in our electorate offices just don’t deserve that sort of abuse,” she said.

The safety of WA MPs has become a priority issue after federal Victorian independent MP Helen Haines lost both her legs after being rammed allegedly by a constituent driving a four-wheel drive while she was outside her office.

Days later, WA Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley’s Victoria Park electorate office was forced into lockdown when a man allegedly brandished nunchucks.

One Nation’s WA leader Rod Caddies also said a man threatened to kill him while he was driving home from parliament one night.

Concerns over MP safety resulted in a meeting between all party leaders and WA Police at parliament on October 22.

The state will likely conduct an audit of electorate office safety, and they are considering allowances available to MPs to upgrade security.

McGurk’s comments came the same day a Victorian One Nation volunteer was allegedly attacked by a man and a teenager with a baseball bat on his front lawn in a coastal town on the Great Ocean Road.

Victoria Police said in a statement on Tuesday the 60-year-old was recovering from serious, non-life-threatening injuries after he confronted a 14-year-old boy who was allegedly damaging a corflute outside a home in Torquay on Sunday evening.

McGurk said the overall temperature in public debate was at an all-time high.

“I don’t think we’re just seeing this in the WA or in Australia. I think we’re seeing it around the world,” she said.

“I really want people to think about when they are feeling impatient or angry, just to take a step back and take a breath and not to take that out on the people around them.”

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