Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I join my parliamentary colleagues on both sides of the House to acknowledge the tragic death of UK member of parliament Jo Cox. As described earlier, Ms Cox died on 16 June this year after being shot and stabbed. It was tragic. She is survived by her husband and two children. Without going into the details of the case, it does highlight the vulnerability of MPs in all parts of the world, including Australia, when carrying out their daily role in the community. In many cases, mental illness plays a factor in the murder of political representatives worldwide; in other cases it is due to the radical ideology of the likes that we see in ISIS and in other extremist movements.

Back home in Australia, the incident is a reminder of how lucky democracies—like those based on the Westminster system—are to have access to politicians openly. MPs in Australia walk the streets and visit many events and places in their electorate, just like Jo Cox did. They do this because they seek to make a difference in their community, through taking local issues to Canberra. Interestingly, Australia is not immune from these incidents. There have been numerous attempts to murder politicians, and some have, tragically, been carried out—like that of New South Wales MP John Newman. This year sees almost 50 years since an attempt on the life of former Labor leader Arthur Calwell. According to reports, Calwell had just addressed a meeting at Mosman Town Hall in Sydney. He was in the car when a man he thought was a wellwisher came close, so he partly wound down the window. Nineteen-year-old Peter Raymond Kocan aimed a sawn-off rifle at Calwell's face and fired. Fortunately, Calwell received only minor injuries to his chin, as the bullet was deflected by the window, but he ended up with a bullet hole in his coat.

Back to 2016—the tragic death of Jo Cox cannot be rationalised by either lawyers or health workers, but it does highlight the importance of preserving our democracy. Whether this murder was the result of mental illness or Nazi idealism is unclear, but it is not for us to judge here; it is for a court room in England. However, the general conversation around this incident does create a new conversation on the safety of our democratic principles, and that includes the ability of Australians to freely elect anyone who can stand for nomination for an election into parliament. That is why we need to maintain high national security through strong border control and immigration processes. As John Howard once said, we choose who comes to our country. We should never be pressured by the green movement or social activists to change our standards for vetting people who want to come to Australia, no matter what form of transport they arrived on.

The recent anniversary of the Bali bombing, which killed many Australians, is a reminder that we must constantly be vigilant against extremists and their dangerous rants. We are a proud and peaceful multicultural nation, and we are known as the lucky country for good reason. May you rest in peace, Jo Cox. Our thoughts are with you and your family.

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