Bodyguards will flank a host of politicians on the campaign trail, as safety fears prompt Australia's first police taskforce designed to protect candidates.
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The Australian Federal Police on Wednesday revealed a "major taskforce" - Operation Wilmot - will investigate all election-related crime, including threats to politicians and candidates.
The advent of COVID-19 conspiracy movements has heightened concern over so-called 'lone wolf' attackers, often self-radicalised online before bursting into sudden violence.
And the upcoming election, which will see hundreds of candidates attending events in public, is a point of concern for security analysts.
The AFP said its taskforce - made up of hundreds of investigators, intelligence officers, and protective security experts - will coordinate with state and territory agencies to ensure "responses are immediate and intelligence is shared".
"The taskforce sends a strong message to the community that the AFP is dedicated to protecting democracy, protecting high-office holders and will not hesitate to identify and arrest those who break the law," the AFP statement.
"Hiding behind a keyboard to issue threats against politicians does not ensure anonymity.
"The AFP has world-leading technology to identify individuals who break the law by harassing, menacing or threatening to kill politicians."
The AFP said the taskforce will become active once the federal election is called, and will use "real-time intelligence" to launch investigations from its coordination centre in Canberra.
Three people have been prosecuted for threatening to cause harm to a commonwealth official in the last 18 months, and another two matters remain under investigation.
The tenor of public debate has caused alarm in recent years, after anti-COVID-19 mandate protesters erected gallows outside Victorian state parliament and made open threats to kill Premier Daniel Andrews.
That danger was highlighted in October, when David Amess became the second British MP to be murdered in public in less than a decade.
The murder sparked alarm among Australian politicians, with a group of MPs seeking an urgent briefing on security arrangements from Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews.
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw later confirmed a number of "specific threats" were under investigation.
A host of politicians from across the aisle - ranging from Health Minister Greg Hunt, NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner, and Labor MP Anne Aly - have publicly spoken about the violent threats they have received.
Canberra-based MP Andrew Leigh, who was granted a protection order against an individual this month, warned his female colleagues, especially those from minority backgrounds, faced particular risk.