The member for Indi is by any measure a gentle and kind person. She's a person of decency, warmth and integrity, and she's approachable, thoughtful and deeply committed to the people she represents. Helen and I may disagree on some matters of policy, and that's the nature of our work, but politics should never diminish our capacity to recognise the humanity in one another. Before we're members of parliament, we're people. We have families who worry about us when we leave home to do this job and who expect that we will return home safely at the end of the day. Helen's family should never have to contemplate the possibility that her commitment to public service might expose her to violence. I can only imagine the distress that this incident has caused Helen and those closest to her. I want Helen to know that my thoughts and those of the people of McPherson are with her and her family and that the concern and goodwill of colleagues across this parliament are with her.

This incident is about more than one parliamentarian. It's about the kind of democracy we want to preserve. One of the great strengths of Australian democracy is its accessibility. Our democracy is not meant to be conducted from behind locked doors, at a distance from the people that we represent. Its strength lies in the ability of Australians to approach their elected representatives, raise their concerns, challenge our decisions and hold us to account. That accessibility is not a weakness. It's one of our greatest strengths. An attack on a parliamentarian is therefore not simply an attack on an individual. It strikes at the democratic principle that public service should be accessible.

What happened to Helen was unacceptable. It was un-Australian, and we must ensure that incidents such as this do not become an accepted cost of public life. Robust debate is not only healthy for a democracy; it's essential to one. Elected representatives must be able to challenge one another, question decisions and argue passionately for their beliefs. We must never allow the fear of controversy to become a reason to silence legitimate political disagreement. But, while robust debate must be protected, we must also recognise that words matter. In particular, what we're increasingly seeing on social media is deeply concerning—gutless individuals hiding behind keyboards and fake profiles, feeling emboldened to personally attack, threaten and intimidate others in ways they would rarely have the courage to do face to face. When personal abuse becomes normalised, when threats are dismissed as simply part of the job and when people are rewarded with attention for the most extreme and inflammatory rhetoric, it changes the tone of our public debate.

The relevant decision-makers should also use this as an opportunity to reconsider our security arrangements. I acknowledge and respect the important work of the AFP and our intelligence agencies. Their responsibilities are considerable, but acknowledging that work does not mean we should shy away from asking whether the arrangements we have in place are adequate to the circumstances we now face and—let's be honest—have faced for some time. We must ensure that security advice reflects the realities of our roles. The work of an electorate MP is fundamentally different from that of a senior minister or other highly protected parliamentarians. We spend much of our time in public and mobile offices meeting people, visiting workplaces and attending community events. Accessibility is central to our responsibilities, and security arrangements must account for that reality. There's also a significant gap between the security afforded to senior parliamentarians and that available to more junior members. We should carefully consider whether that gap is appropriate, particularly when the risks faced by members are not always determined by their seniority, as was the case in Helen's situation. We should review arrangements for prepoll voting and consider the security measures needed in the lead-up to an election, when parliamentarians and candidates are particularly visible and accessible and when tensions are highest. It should not have to take an incident like this for us to act.

The principle is straightforward. No elected representative, regardless of gender, party or seniority, should be subjected to violence, intimidation or harassment while serving their community. We owe that protection to our colleagues, we owe it to their families, and we owe it to the Australians who entrust us with their democratic representation.

Helen, you have given your time and your energy to serving your community. You deserve to be able to continue that work safely and with the same warmth, openness and commitment that you've always brought to it. My thoughts are with you; your husband, Phil; your children and family; your staff; and the broader Indi community. Helen, from McPherson to Indi, I wish you strength and reassurance in the days ahead. I hope you know that, across this parliament, your colleagues stand with you.