Man charged after allegedly making threats at Hannah Beazley’s electorate office while armed with nunchucks

Perth man charged with ‘being armed in a way that may cause fear’ – days after Helen Haines was allegedly attacked with 4WD outside her Victorian office

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A man has been charged after allegedly threatening staff and wielding nunchucks at the electoral office of the Western Australian local government minister, Hannah Beazley.

The Perth incident came days after the federal independent MP Helen Haines was hospitalised with severe injuries following an alleged attack outside her electorate office in Wangaratta in Victoria on Monday.

Electoral staff at Beazley’s Victoria Park office called police after a man caused a disturbance on Wednesday afternoon.

Police said they received reports the man was making verbal threats while in possession of an “improvised martial arts weapon” described as “nunchucks”.

They arrested the 56-year-old man nearby and took him into custody. On Thursday he was charged with being armed in a way that may cause fear, making unlawful threats and cannabis possession. Nobody was injured in the incident.

The man was refused bail to appear at Perth magistrates court on Thursday.

Beazley was not in the office at the time but told reporters on Wednesday evening her staff were “rattled” by the “confronting situation”.

“He was [allegedly] being very threatening. He did want access to me, I believe, but we don’t know his motivations at all,” the minister said.

Beazley said there had been two staff members in the office at the time. The man allegedly attempted to lean through the security screen but her staff were a safe distance away, she said.

“It’s not the first time I’ve had threats made against me.

“My primary concern is the welfare of my staff, obviously. That was very rattling for them. They called the police.”

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Hannah Beazley was a friend “because I’m a good friend of her dad”, the former Labor defence minister Kim Beazley.

“This is far too prevalent,” Albanese told Perth radio on Thursday. “It’s not who we are as Australians. We can have our discussions and debates and settle those issues at the ballot box.”

The governor general, Sam Mostyn, speaking generally on Thursday, discussed the gendered dynamics of threats and abuse directed at women in high-profile positions.

“Like any woman who has stepped up into any position across any part of our society, there is a unique and pernicious form of attack that comes our way,” Mostyn told ABC TV.

“I still receive that online. In fact, I was just saddened this morning to see some of the comments on my own Instagram page, in capitals with expletives, once again questioning the very nature of what it is that I do.

“Women across the country know that there are certain things that are reserved for women … that go to our gender and they are often vicious and just despicable.”