{"id":657,"date":"2026-10-22T18:17:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T18:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/22\/2nd-female-lawmaker-in-australia-targeted-days-after-alleged-vehicle-attack-national-globalnews-ca\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T18:17:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T18:17:36","slug":"2nd-female-lawmaker-in-australia-targeted-days-after-alleged-vehicle-attack-national-globalnews-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/22\/2nd-female-lawmaker-in-australia-targeted-days-after-alleged-vehicle-attack-national-globalnews-ca\/","title":{"rendered":"2nd female lawmaker in Australia targeted days after alleged vehicle attack – National | Globalnews.ca"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A man was charged on Thursday with threatening an Australian lawmaker\u2019s staff with nunchucks days after federal lawmaker Helen Haines<\/a> was critically injured when a man hit her with a car<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Prosecutors said in a Perth court on Thursday that John Lawrence Smart, 56, was screaming when he entered Western Australian state government minister Hannah Beazley\u2019s<\/a> electorate office on Wednesday, demanding to see her.<\/p>\n

Western Australia Police said it was alleged<\/a> that the man made \u201cverbal threats while in possession of an improvised martial arts weapon (nunchucks).\u201d<\/p>\n

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Beazley was not in the office at the time and two staff members remained safe behind a security barrier in the office. No one was hurt.<\/p>\n

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In a post on Facebook<\/a>, Beazley thanked everyone who had reached out and checked in on her and her staff following the incident at her office.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a confronting situation for my two staff members who were present at the time, and I thank the police officers who attended for their quick response and action taken to take the person into custody,\u201d Beazley wrote.<\/p>\n

Beazley said that her staff \u201cdid an amazing job\u201d and \u201cdid everything right \u2014 providing information WA Police needed quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is now a matter before the courts, so I won\u2019t comment on the specifics of the incident any further,\u201d she added. \u201cAs the Member for Victoria Park I love spending every day working for and representing local residents, and this won\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his court appearance, Smart said that he had been holding claves, not nunchucks, according to The Associated Press. Claves are typically wooden sticks used as a percussion instrument.<\/p>\n

Nunchucks are a controlled weapon used in martial arts consisting of two or more batons joined by a cord, rope or chain, according to Western Australia state law<\/a>. Nunchucks can only be carried in public in the state for use in legitimate sports, training or martial arts instruction.<\/p>\n

Magistrate Heidi Watson refused to release Smart on bail, saying he posed a potential risk to himself and the public, The Associated Press reports.<\/p>\n

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She ordered Smart to be medically assessed while in custody. He had previously been involuntarily admitted to hospital with schizophrenia.<\/p>\n

Smart did not enter pleas to charges of<\/a> being armed, or pretending to be armed, in a way that may cause fear and with making an unlawful threat.<\/p>\n

There was no allegation that Smart\u2019s alleged behaviour was connected to the driver who hit Haines with his car in the east coast state of Victoria on Monday.<\/p>\n

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the incident at Beazley\u2019s office added to \u201can awful week\u201d in Australian politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that you had this incident so soon after the tragedy that occurred with Helen Haines in Wangaratta on Monday is just heartbreaking,\u201d Albanese told Mark Gibson on 102.5 ABC Perth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Haines\u2019 husband said that she had both legs amputated following the alleged attack.<\/p>\n

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