Member for Mallee - Transcript - Interview ABC Radio Regional Victoria statewide Drive with Prue Bentley - Monday 26 October 2026

DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL HEALTH
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TRANSCRIPT

TOPICS: Member for Indi, security arrangements for MPs, personal security arrangements, policing, women in public life

BENTLEY:
Federal Member for Mallee Anne Webster says she has actually paid for private security at home because of concerns. She joins you now, Ms Webster. Good afternoon.

WEBSTER

Good afternoon, Prue. How are you?

BENTLEY

Look, I'm all right, but after Monday, I know we've been speaking with a number of MPs after those awful events of last Monday. How are you reflecting on all of that after the week?

WEBSTER

Oh, it's incredibly sobering. I would say that the entire parliament is, you know, at a lower key, just reflecting on what has happened to all of our good colleague. All of ... she is such a wonderful and kind and generous and compassionate Member of Parliament, everybody is impacted. There's no question about that. So our thoughts are with her, and with Phil. We heard from Phil face-to-face this morning, and you know it's going to be a long road.

BENTLEY

It's put the security provisions for MPs, their staff, their offices, in into a stark picture in the last week too. Anne Webster, how are you feeling when you are in your electorate around the Mallee?

WEBSTER

Look, we've had we faced threats for really seven of the now .. this is my eighth year, so probably, pretty well, all the time I've been in Parliament. There have been various threats that have arisen. I've certainly had to go through - I chose to go through a defamation court proceeding in '21, was awful and terrible. And at the time, because it was sovereign citizens, conspiracy stuff that was part of that, my husband actually decided to begin putting security cameras around our home, which I thought at the time was actually quite strange. I thought, you know, 'What are you doing that for?' But he was alert to the risks more than I was, and so we've now had cameras at our place for quite a few years. But I, note that others are now considering doing that as well. We've also had engagement with the AFP over the course of the number of years I've been in, and have had engagement with local police as well. It's just you know it's an incredible shame that you can't just do what we're here to do, which is serve our communities, be present in our communities, face-to-face, and hear from people, and you know, converse with constituents, which is what we're here to do without having to consider safety measures (I certainly don't want to spend my public service in risk management) - that's what I'm here for.

BENTLEY

Do you think enough is being done, though, at a national, you know, even at a state level, to reduce the risk for MPs like yourself?

WEBSTER

Well, I don't know how you do that. We've been asked by AFP for some time now to give where we are going around the electorate - I've got over a third of Victoria is my electorate, so I've got a fair space to cover - and we have been asked to make sure that AFP have the list and the dates and the times and the places that we're going, so that they can, you know, send police support should they need to, or so they can alert the police in that area. Again, it all kind of feels incredibly surreal that we even have to do that. But you know, there have been suggestions made by some people that maybe we should not .... Well, actually, we've been told by our security here in Parliament House that we shouldn't ... make our presence known as in public. Well, I don't know how you're supposed to communicate with your constituents that you're going to be having a mobile office, for example, or a series of mobile offices without making ... It's just not possible.

BENTLEY

Would you say then that you'd need more of a security presence when you're out in your electorate? Are there other things? Is that ... does more money effectively need to be spent in beefing up security, Anne Webster?

WEBSTER

Well, I don't know. Look, I don't want more security in principle because I'm here to serve and here to serve my constituents. I don't want a wall of security bodies around me. I know there are a lot of other MPs who feel exactly the same. I think if we come to that space, we really do separate ourselves from our communities, and that's not what this job is about. It's not ...

BENTLEY

... but if your security, your safety is at risk, that's got to be the higher priority, doesn't it?

WEBSTER

Well, obviously we have to have a measured look, and we are, and I know when we met with ASIO and AFP and other security bodies here in Parliament, they are certainly looking at how we are doing things, how we are managing our community life, our public life. But I, honestly don't have any simple solutions. And you know, I have .. I've got some men as part of my staff who happen to be big , and - you know, in the past - I've said to them, "Well, you know, I think you need to be on the trip". They're not employed to be my bodyguards. You know that's not fair. But the reality is, as women in parliament, in particular, you do like to know that there is some protection around you without having that uniformed presence, shall we say?

BENTLEY

Yeah

WEBSTER

I'm really conflicted, clearly, in the way I'm speaking to you, I'm really conflicted about the whole thing, and I reflect on Helen and the fact that she was simply getting something out of the boot of her car. I mean, honestly, how everyday is that, and does that mean that people who are in public life have to watch their back everywhere they're going and every everything they do? It's just, it's a horrendous reality.

BENTLEY

Do you worry? I mean, you mentioned that the impact on women seems to be heightened. Do you worry that women will start to think twice about entering political life or public life?

WEBSTER

Well, it's interesting you ask that because one of the Teals asked that question today of Tanya Plibersek, that she had been encouraged ... the member had been encouraging women to think about public life and you know starting to head in the direction of, you know, becoming an MP or doing whatever in the public space and wanted to know from Tanya Plibersek should that be something that she should discourage women from doing? Well, I mean, in a way, it's a rhetorical question. Of course, we want women in this space, and women need to feel safe wherever they are, and as men also need to feel safe wherever they are, and I think - you know, fundamentally - thank God we're not France. But we don't want to head in that direction either.

BENTLEY

It's a real conundrum, Anne Webster. And I can—I can hear that, you know, this is not one that necessarily even goes down party lines. It's everybody's kind of ... reflecting on this in their own way at the moment. Really appreciate your time today.

WEBSTER

No worries at all.

‍

‍