Police charge two people for online threats against Labor senator

Police have charged two people with threatening Labor senator Kristina Keneally via social media messages.

A 29-year-old man from Harrington Park in Sydney’s west and a 41-year-old woman from Maitland are expected to face court in April over the messages, sent separately.

Two people have been charged with sending threatening online messages to Labor senator Kristina Keneally.Credit:Janie Barrett

An Australian Federal Police statement said the messages were allegedly sent on November 23, 2021 and “threatened or advocated violent acts”.

Senator Keneally, Labor’s spokeswoman on Home Affairs, confirmed she was the subject of the allegedly threatening messages but would not discuss their content due to the pending court case.

However, she thanked police and said the AFP had acted quickly and professionally in all cases where parliamentarians had been subjected to threats or harassment online.

“This is a timely reminder as we come into the election campaign that, regrettably, in Australia, we’ve seen an increase in extremism in acts of threats and harassment, particularly online,” she told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

“In recent months, the Australian Federal Police have spoken publicly about the steps they’re taking to increase security arrangements, particularly for the federal election campaign. And those arrangements will not only seek to improve the safety of MPs and candidates, but also the general community.

“Regrettably, incidents like this may occur again, before we get to election day.”

The man has been charged with threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official, which can be punished by up to seven years in jail. The woman has been charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence and faces up to five years in jail if found guilty.

In February, a West Australian man pleaded guilty to making threats against a federal MP in a Facebook comment in 2020 and was fined $5000.

Nationals MP Anne Webster won a defamation case in 2020 over a series of social media posts which the judge labelled vile and delusional.

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