Anne Aly reveals she has received 19 death threats in the last week alone

Anne Aly said she had faced a concentrated wave of threats during the previous week. She reported receiving 19 death threats on social media. She also said this was part of a longer pattern, not an isolated incident. In earlier threats, people had used language saying she should be “stoned.”

Her comments came after Angie Bell told parliament that Aly and the prime minister should be “shamed and stoned in the square.” Aly described the language as racist and misogynistic. She said it was especially disturbing in a country that opposes violence against women and regimes that use stoning against women.

The disclosure highlights the personal danger faced by public figures online. The article also reports a wider rise in threats against politicians. Female politicians can receive threats involving violence, sexual abuse, appearance-based insults, and attacks directed at their children. Aly argued that such threats should not simply be ignored.

Anne Aly said 19 death threats were posted on her social media during one week. That figure describes threats aimed at one politician over seven days. It shows how intense online abuse can become, even before counting threats made through other channels or against other public figures.

The broader comparison is not like-for-like. The Australian Federal Police received 951 referrals or threats against parliamentarians during the entire 2024-25 financial year. The article also says more than 50 police reports about alleged criminal offences were made during the last federal election campaign. Thus, Aly’s 19 threats are a short-period personal figure, while 951 is a national, year-long total.

Both figures point to a wider problem. AFP referrals or threats rose by more than 60% in four years. The numbers suggest that threats are not isolated incidents. They create security concerns for politicians and can make public service more personally dangerous.

By saying Aly and the prime minister should be “shamed and stoned in the square,” Angie Bell used language that evoked a violent punishment. The phrase went beyond criticism of a government decision. It suggested that two political figures should be publicly subjected to severe physical violence.

Bell made the remark before question time while attacking the government over the Australian Taxation Office’s ban on credit-card payments for tax bills. Tony Burke, the government’s leader of the house, raised concerns about the “physically violent imagery.” The speaker then required Bell to withdraw her words.

The incident matters because parliamentary debate permits strong disagreement but places limits on threatening or unparliamentary language. Aly said the phrase echoed death threats she had received, including threats saying she should be “stoned.” She called the comments racist and misogynistic and said they conflicted with Australian values against violence toward women.

A death threat is a message or statement that communicates an intention, or apparent intention, to kill another person. It can be delivered online, by phone, in the post, or in person. The article reports that threats against politicians have been made through all these channels, although it does not set out a specific legal definition.

Making such a threat can be treated as a criminal offence because it is not simply an expression of political opinion. It communicates possible lethal harm and can cause fear, require police action, and create a genuine safety risk. Whether a particular message is criminal depends on the relevant law and its circumstances.

The article describes more than 50 police reports involving alleged criminal offences during the last federal election campaign. The AFP also received 951 referrals or threats against parliamentarians in 2024-25. It says threats can target politicians’ children too, and that the AFP will take swift action against this criminality.

Angie Bell’s parliamentary attack focused on a decision by the Australian Taxation Office. The tax office had banned credit-card payments used to pay tax bills. Bell opposed that change and linked it to the interests of small businesses.

Before question time, she argued that millions of Australians were employed by small businesses. She said those people would be harmed by the payment decision. Her criticism was directed at Anne Aly, the small business minister, and the prime minister, whom she blamed politically for the policy issue.

The dispute shows the policy disagreement behind the later parliamentary controversy. Bell was challenging how tax bills could be paid, while Aly and the government were the targets of her attack. However, the speaker required Bell to withdraw her wording because the phrase “stoned in the square” introduced physically violent imagery into the debate. The article does not give further details about the payment ban.

Democratic politics depends on politicians being able to argue over policies without facing violence or intimidation. Threats can shift attention from public issues to personal safety. They may also pressure politicians to avoid certain positions, public appearances, or online communication, although the article does not claim that any named politician changed behaviour.

The article says politicians are targeted because of their public profiles or policy positions. It also describes threats sent online, by post, or over the phone. Some threats are directed at children. This means intimidation can affect not only the elected person, but also their family and the wider conditions in which political work occurs.

The reported rise is significant. The AFP received 951 referrals or threats against parliamentarians in 2024-25, up more than 60% in four years. More than 50 police reports were made during the last federal election campaign. The AFP says it will take swift action, but the figures show continuing pressure on democratic participation.

The article reports that female politicians face particularly troubling threats. These commonly include derogatory comments about their appearance, as well as extremely violent and graphic sexual themes. Reece Kershaw said some male offenders appear to target women because they are women. This is gender-based intimidation, not simply harsh debate about government policy.

Political disagreement focuses on decisions, arguments, or consequences. Misogynistic abuse instead attacks a politician’s identity and uses humiliation, sexual violence, or threats of physical harm. The article gives Anne Aly’s experience as an example. She received 19 death threats in one week, including language saying she should be “stoned.”

This pattern can make public life more dangerous for women and can affect their children too. Kershaw said female politicians and high officeholders were particular targets. The AFP says it will not tolerate this criminality and will take swift action. The article therefore presents gendered threats as a serious security and democratic problem.