Video taking off 40x its usual first day

Guarding all 226 federal MPs would take "incredible" resources, AFP chief says

Krissy Barrett tells reporters in Melbourne that police had no specific intelligence pointing to the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines.

Channel:

SBS News Story of October 22, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 122,140 views a day, 40 times a normal first day on this channel (3,079).

The AFP says there was no prior warning about alleged attack on Haines

Could every federal politician in Australia have a close protection detail? AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett answers plainly: "That would be an incredible amount of resourcing." Instead, she says, the Australian Federal Police assesses threat, risk and vulnerability for each of the country's 226 federal parliamentarians, under a model she calls "very mature and very detailed."

The question comes two days after the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, in regional Victoria. Haines remains in a Melbourne hospital in a critical but stable condition.

The short SBS News clip opens with a reporter asking whether the AFP knew about the accused's social media posts before Monday. Barrett's reply: "So what I can say is we didn't have any specific intelligence that would have indicated something as atrocious as happened on Monday afternoon." She goes on to describe the AFP's online intelligence work and calls better use of technology, including closer work with tech companies on online threats, "a huge part of my priority as the commissioner."

The same press conference, according to the video's description, heard that police have not ruled out further charges, including attempted murder.

The Short reached about 122,000 views in its first day, where an SBS News Short usually draws around 3,000. Two other reports from the same day also ran far ahead of the channel's usual first day. One followed the court appearance and the news, from Haines' husband Phil, that she has lost both legs. The other reported that politicians have received new safety briefings for moving around their electorates, along with a warning that the current state of politics leaves room for further violence.

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