Anne Aly, Australia's small business minister, revealed she received 19 death threats in a single week after an opposition MP called for her to be "shamed and stoned in the square" during parliamentary debate.
Angie Bell, the Liberal National MP for Moncrieff on the Gold Coast, made the comments in the House of Representatives. The remarks targeted Aly and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over a tax office decision.
Aly responded by denouncing Bell's language as "racist" and "misogynistic." She tied the parliamentary comments to the surge in threatening messages she has received.
The incident reflects escalating tensions within Australian parliament over policy disagreements, with rhetoric that crosses into personal attacks. Bell's use of language invoking physical harm drew swift rebuke from Aly, who framed the comments within a broader pattern of abuse directed at her.
The death threats Aly cited represent a concrete security concern for a sitting federal minister. The connection Aly drew between parliamentary language and the threats she receives highlights concerns about how heated political rhetoric can create an environment in which harassment and threats against public figures intensify.
The tax office decision that prompted Bell's criticism remains unspecified in the available details, leaving the policy substance of the dispute unclear. What is clear is that the disagreement escalated into personal attacks within parliament itself, then spilled into threats against Aly outside the chamber.