澳大利亚联邦警察局长表示，议员们普遍对日益增加的辱骂和恐吓行为感到担忧。
澳大利亚联邦警察负责人谴责了当前“紧张”的政治环境，这种环境下每周都有人因涉嫌威胁议员而被起诉；与此同时，维多利亚州宣布了新的措施来保护政治人物。
AFP commissioner says MPs are generally concerned about growing volume of abuse and intimidation The head of the Australian federal police has condemned a “febrile” political environment that has seen one person charged every week over the alleged threatening of MPs, as Victoria announces new steps to protect politicians.
但澳大利亚联邦警察和维多利亚州警方坚称，他们没有情报表明43岁的布伦丹·纳金特会驾驶丰田陆地巡洋舰故意撞击独立议员海伦·海恩斯。
But the AFP and Victoria police insist they had no intelligence to suggest 43-year-old Brendan Nugent would go on to allegedly drive a Toyota LandCruiser into the independent MP Helen Haines in a targeted attack.