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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Josh Butler, Sarah Basford Canales and Josh Taylor

Albanese promises ‘swift response’ on MP safety as he mulls panic buttons for politicians

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese
Anthony Albanese says this week ‘must be a turning point’ for civil discourse in Australian politics. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Anthony Albanese has promised a “swift government response” to safety threats to MPs and floated the provision of duress alarms for electorate offices, saying politicians and their staff have put up with threats for too long.

The prime minister’s pledge to the Labor party room came hours after Senator Fatima Payman again slammed her former government colleagues over the lack of staffing given to her office, controversially asking: “Is the prime minister waiting for something, like what happened to Dr Helen Haines, to occur to my office?”

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