Deputy PM crowd scare
Extra protection put in place after mob surges
SECURITY for Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has been permanently ramped up after he was swarmed at a community event in an incident that left his staff “shaken”.
Mr Marles, who is also Defence Minister, has been assigned Australian Federal Police protection at all outings and is required to take government Comcars everywhere, even for private or party events, as a result of the safety breach.
While leaving the launch of a Victorian Labor candidate’s electoral office in late September, Mr Marles was surrounded by about 30 people and blocked from entering his car, with one member of the public even trying to get into the vehicle.
The frenetic crowd surrounded the car and temporarily prevented Mr Marles and his staff from leaving.
Following the incident it is understood Mr Marles’ staff inquired about the lack of safety measures and were informed Victorian police had been at the event, but had not made themselves known to anyone on the Deputy Prime Minister’s team.
Sources said police had decided there were too many people inside the building so they had waited outside instead.
It is understood senior figures in the AFP contacted Mr Marles personally to apologise for the risk to his safety and guaranteed he would have Commonwealth Police protection on all future outings.
Unless acting as prime minister, Mr Marles’ risk profile previously meant the level of close personal protection he used was assessed on a caseby-case basis for events.
A spokeswoman for Mr Marles declined to comment on security arrangements for the Deputy Prime Minister.
The security of Australian politicians has become an increasingly complex issue, with MPs from across different political parties being targeted.
Earlier this year Labor MP Dr Andrew Leigh confirmed a court-sanctioned protection order had been made for him, and said he believed a career in politics was not as safe today as it had been in the past.
“I won’t be divulging details, but people should be aware of the way the environment is changing for MPs,” the MP said on Twitter in March.
Dr Leigh then confirmed a threat had been made to his office that had meant engaging with the public and going about his work as a politician put him at risk.