I just want to record a few words of solidarity, both personally and on behalf of the people of my electorate, who over the last week, as I've moved around the community, have all raised and sent love and positive feedback and expressed their own horror with what's transpired. First and foremost, this is a personal and a family tragedy for Helen and for those who love her the most—her husband, Phil; the children; the grandchildren; and the people closest to her in her life journey. I think the entire country fell in love with Phil a little last week on Wednesday afternoon, when he did that incredible presser with the Governor-General, and then parliamentarians this morning were able to hear directly from him at a private morning tea and hear some really intimate, touching accounts. Helen's first words as she woke were to ask about other people and how they were doing.

There are difficult, unimaginably hard days ahead. I know from my friend the member for Dickson, Ali France, who's been through a traumatic injury somewhat like this, losing a leg in tragic circumstances, this is not an easy road. We can be optimistic but also give space and be realistic about the pain and the two steps forward, one step back. Pardon the bad phrasing, as someone said to me. But I hope the outpouring of hope and love that has come from around the country, from your community, Helen, and from your colleagues here helps you power on in the days ahead and gives comfort, as Ali said, that you do find a new normal and you find the joy that returns to life in time.

This is shocking in every way, not just personally but for Helen's community, for her staff—and I record again on behalf of the government our willingness to assist you with all manner of constituent issues as if it were Helen herself writing the letters for the coming weeks and months—for the bystanders and the first responders and also for her colleagues here, as we've heard. If you were making a list of one to 150 of people who displayed civility and kindness and empathy and decency, Helen would certainly be at the top of that list. But it's a big thing for the country, and I think that's in part some of the reaction that's been seen. We've prided ourselves—with some aberration, of course, over the years—on a peaceful political culture where people can access their representatives freely and safely.

An attack like this—political violence—doesn't mean that MPs are any more special than the rest of the community. We are not. We're doing a job, serving the public, like hundreds and thousands of other Australians choose to in a form of public service, but there's something particularly pernicious and toxic about political violence, be it against elected representatives, judges or other high-office holders, that can tear at the very fabric of a society in a democracy. I'm not going to speculate on motives. We let the police do their job. This has engendered, of course, a lot of talk of MPs' security, and that matters, but I do worry that too much focus on that narrow issue alone risks sending the wrong message and misses the point. This is not about us. It's about Australia; all Australians; the right of every Australian, particularly those who serve the public in this instance, to be safe at work; and the right of citizens to access their members of parliament freely and in the community.

I don't want security. I don't want these people to win. I don't want them to change the character of our democracy, and we mustn't let them. We will need to reflect, of course, on what parts of the democratic we need to extend the tent and protect—the right of people to access electorate offices safely and freely, the right of people to engage in community events without intimidation and the electoral process. The point is that every public servant deserves to be safe at work, whether it's hospital workers; paramedics; teachers; parking inspectors—they can get a rough trot out and about—police, of course, as we've said; or Defence Force personnel in their uniform getting a coffee on the way to work. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and be safe at work.

As the police commissioner said, this is not an issue sadly that's confined to women only. Half the complaints or intimidation have been directed at men, roughly half at women, but our female colleagues suffer a particular, pernicious, vicious and sexualised form of abuse. The fact that my friend the member for Sydney could say she years ago lost count of how many times she's been threatened to be raped and killed as part of her public life is completely unacceptable.

I'll finish on these points briefly. We rightly talk about the responsibility of leaders, not just leaders here in the political world but leaders at every level—faith leaders; business leaders; those with a media platform, frankly, be they podcasters or so-called mainstream media—who at times could reflect on the tone that they use and the messages that they send about what is acceptable civil debate. The role of social media has and will be talked about. But my final point is that leaders can only do so much in any society. Every one of us can do better, but ultimately our social cohesion and the peace that we enjoy is the sum total of millions of decisions by millions of Australians every day, all throughout the day. We all have a part to play in improving the tone and ensuring safety of everyone who goes to work. I wish Helen the best in her recovery.