Words can only go so far to express how special Helen Haines is and how horrid the attack on her was. More telling is the emotional distress we're all feeling—indeed, it's how a great many Australians felt last Monday afternoon and continue to feel. We're distressed because, while violence against anyone is completely and utterly unacceptable, the savagery of this attack and that it was against Helen Haines of all people is just so utterly incomprehensible.

But in needing to find a word to focus on today, I go to the word 'integrity' because Helen has it in spades. I go to 'integrity' because that's what Helen pursued in this place more than anyone else. That is why I'll now read into the parliamentary record some excerpts from the media release published yesterday by the Centre for Public Integrity. It said:

Together with millions of Australians, we have been grief-stricken this week by the horrific attack on a woman we are privileged to call our collaborator and friend, Dr Helen Haines MP.

Helen is an extraordinary parliamentarian and an extraordinary person. Passionate, principled, intelligent, warm and down to earth, she has dedicated herself to making government work better, not only for the people of her beloved electorate of Indi, but for all Australians. The outpouring of love and support from her community and across the nation, and the tributes paid from across the political spectrum, speak to the remarkable person she is.

Helen's husband, Phil captured her magnificent spirit perfectly when he reassured Australians that, despite losing two limbs, her mind and heart remain strong. It is this indomitable strength, which has defined her time in public life, that now gives us hope.

Helen is one of Australia's most effective champions of integrity in public life. We have been privileged to work alongside her on some of the most important integrity reforms of recent years.

Helen was pivotal in the campaign to establish a national anti-corruption commission. Long before the Albanese Government introduced its legislation, she introduced her own Australian Federal Integrity Commission Bill in 2020, helping build critical political momentum for a national integrity body.

Helen has also been a tireless advocate for ending pork barrelling. She believes deeply that public money should flow to the people and communities who need it most, not the most politically expedient to fund. We worked closely with her to draft her End Pork Barrelling Bill, strengthening the proposed rules governing the allocation of public resources.

More recently, following Helen's parliamentary questions on the Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program, our report, Public money, political advantage?, revealed that almost three-quarters of funding under the $559 million program had been allocated to Labor-held electorates through an invitation-only, non-competitive process. Just weeks ago, Helen joined our webinar discussing the findings and the urgent need for stronger standards to ensure public money is allocated fairly and transparently.

Helen's commitment has extended beyond creating integrity institutions to doing the hard work of ensuring they can operate as intended. She helped launch our Beyond Labels report, and we worked closely together in calling for a transparent, merit based appointment process for the next National Anti-Corruption Commissioner. This week, she welcomed the appointment of former Attorney-General and judge Robert McClelland following such a process. Indeed, she was preparing for a media interview about the appointment shortly before the attack.

We remember these collaborations with deep feeling. Helen is committed, smart, strategic and extraordinarily effective. She understands politics and how to make change happen. But through it all, she is deeply human, bringing warmth, generosity, compassion and profound respect for people to everything she does.

In other words, Helen, you're really special and we all desperately want you to mend as quickly and as well as humanly possible. We want you back, but, regardless of whether or not you return to this place, you've already changed it for the better more than anyone else ever has.