I have given truckloads of advice to women who are abused online.

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Depending what kind of abuse it is, I recommend either going straight to the police or turning off social media. If you want to entertain yourself, track down the loser who sent you his "thoughts". That can be very entertaining. Also risky.

There are many steps in between depending on the severity of the abuse.

But I never had this on my 2026 bingo card - that I would need to explain to a woman why the language she used about another woman incited violence. I just assumed that women, any woman, would get that. I especially assumed that any woman in public office would know that.

Here we are, October 2026, and shadow minister for the arts, sport and youth, Queensland Liberal Angie Bell, called for the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Small Business Minister Anne Aly to be "shamed and stoned in the square".

What was the problem? Apparently small business was miffed over the Australian Taxation Office's decision to ban credit card payments (that's now been delayed until the next financial year). And that miffedness prompted Bell to lose her mind and suggest that Anne Aly be stoned in the square.

Do I need to remind the Liberal Party that we don't do stuff like that in this country? Do I need to remind Bell that we don't do stuff like that in this country? This is a party which has an appalling record with women - and the electorate doesn't approve.

Look, I've been tempted myself to set the hounds on to various ill-doers but Bell's choice of punishment has weirdly misogynistic and even racist overtones. Was Bell consciously thinking of Aly's religion? Or subconsciously? Trying to draw a link between repressive regimes such as the Taliban and modern day Muslims? Or just hopelessly incompetent and cruel? Maybe both?

Bell was ordered to withdraw her comments after Leader of the House Tony Burke raised concerns about........

© Canberra Times