The doors to Labor MP Renee Coffey’s electorate office will remain closed today, with the Brisbane politician claiming her staff have been harassed by protesters.
Coffey, the MP for the inner-south division of Griffith, said she supported the community’s right to protest peacefully, and acknowledged there was a “diversity of views”.
Griffith MP Renee Coffey.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
She did not elaborate on the topic of the protests, however, her move comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blamed pro-Palestinian protesters for the closure of his electorate office in Sydney’s inner-west.
One person commented on social media that the protest was related to the North West Shelf gas project.
“I will always stand up for your right to protest peacefully on the issues that matter to you,” Coffey said.
What I will not tolerate is the treatment of my team that I have seen today outside my electorate office.
Coffey claimed her team members were harassed, followed and “aggressively confronted by protesters”.
She said her office, at Greenslopes, would be closed on Tuesday, with staff working remotely.
“I’m really sad to do this and I am really conflicted about it, but what I can’t allow is the harassment of my team that has happened today,” Coffey said.
Coffey said if anyone wanted to talk about “any of these really big issues”, they could send an email and arrange to “have a productive conversation”.