Young women politicians in Western Australia will not leave politics — ABC News Australia

In Australia, young women involved in politics in the state of Western Australia said they do not intend to leave political activity despite abuse and concerns for their personal safety. A Youth Parliament participant, a city councillor and a representative of the Liberal Party's youth wing told ABC News about this.

Western Australian Youth Parliament participant Charlotte Rawlinson said she feels afraid, but believes that is precisely what people who resort to intimidation want. She stressed that, as a young queer woman with a disability, she will not allow opponents of her participation in politics to achieve their goal.

Rawlinson also said that her Youth Parliament colleagues who are under 18 have faced racist and sexist abuse both online and in person. According to her, one participant was targeted solely because she is Muslim.

Security measures in local politics

Twenty-nine-year-old Busselton city councillor Mikayla Love said that after evening council meetings, she asks staff members or another councillor to accompany her to her car. According to her, police had to be called to meetings on several occasions.

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Love noted that when she joined the Busselton council five years ago, safety did not concern her to the same extent. She also said she had noticed more social media content designed to stir up outrage, including on local community pages.

Abuse across the political spectrum

Western Australian Liberal Party youth wing president and federal Young Liberals vice-president Hannah Hutton said she increasingly rarely sees respectful political discussions. She said she had faced insulting labels because of her centre-right views and called for dialogue between representatives of different political positions.

A 2024 study by the Australian National University identified fear of online harassment and misogyny as the second most significant barrier to young women and gender-diverse people entering politics. Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the volume of abuse and threats directed at women members of parliament is increasing and that additional measures are needed to protect them.