Western Australia's Young Female Politicians Face Safety Fears but Refuse to Back Down

Young female politicians in Western Australia are determined to continue their work despite growing safety concerns and online abuse. The issue has sparked a conversation about the risks faced by women in politics and the need for greater protection.

Fear and Resilience

WA Youth Parliamentarian Charlotte Rawlinson is not one to give up easily. "Obviously I'm scared, I have reason to be scared, but that's the effect that these people who are doing this want," she said.

In the wake of recent attacks, including the assault on independent MP Helen Haines and the vandalism of WA MP Hannah Beazley's office, young politically motivated women are considering their options. Ms Rawlinson said she was determined to do her bit, despite the fear. "We know it's not a safe game for us to be in, but we're going to be here anyway because we have other people we want to protect and uplift," she said.

Ms Rawlinson, who identifies as a young, queer, and disabled woman, said some people do not want her involved in politics. "I'm not going to let them have that satisfaction," she said.

Experiences of Online Abuse

Charlotte Rawlinson said some of her fellow youth parliamentarians, all under the age of 18, have experienced racist and sexist abuse online and in person. "One of my fellow members, she had awful things said to her, for not only the things she said but for things she didn't say — just for existing as a Muslim," she said.

For 29-year-old Busselton Councillor Mikalya Love, being involved in politics — even at a local level — has meant new strategies to manage her safety. "I get my staff or another councillor to walk me to my car at night after council," she said. "There have been a few times where we've had to call police at council meetings."

Ms Love said things were different only five years ago when she first joined the city of Busselton council, 250 kilometres south of Perth. "I do think that it is starting to increase because the first few years I was on council I never really gave [it] a thought. It wasn't too much of a concern," she said.

A Growing Concern Across the Political Spectrum

The increase in online abuse has been felt by young women from across the political spectrum. Hannah Hutton is the WA Young Liberals chair as well as the federal Young Liberals vice-president. She said she was having fewer and fewer respectful conversations. "The increasing political divisiveness as a whole is really, really scary," she said.

"The way that we counter that is with more conversations and rhetoric and respectful dialogue between all different sides." Ms Hutton said as a young woman involved in the Liberal Party, assumptions have been made about her beliefs. "I've definitely received a lot of name calling and things like that for being someone who's centre right of politics," she said.

Calls for Action

A 2024 Australian National University study found that fear of online harassment and misogyny is the second biggest barrier for young women and gender diverse people from entering politics. Former prime minister Julia Gillard, the current chair of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at the Australian National University, said more action is needed to protect women in politics.

"Evidence shows that the volume of abuse and threats directed at women MPs is growing," she said. "In my own discussions with current women MPs, I have been told about an increased number of threats, as well as ugly sexist abuse being screamed at them in public places."

"At this time, we should be thinking deeply about how to address what is driving this level of abuse, and what can be done to ensure all MPs can represent their communities confident that they’re safe," she said.