Helen is one of the very best people I've had the privilege of meeting in this place. She is someone who treats everyone with kindness, dignity and respect. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from or whether you agree with her; Helen always leads with humanity. She is someone who has spent her life caring for others, serving her community and making our country better. That she has been subjected to violence and cruelty has shaken us all.

Anyone who knows Helen knows what an extraordinary person she is. For her, politics has never been about herself. It has always been about the people she represents and how she can make a difference to their lives. Regardless of whether you agree with her or not, Helen reminds us that disagreement does not have to mean disrespect. We should debate ideas and policies robustly. This place must be a contest of ideas. We owe it to the Australian people. But Helen reminds us that politics can still be conducted with decency, generosity and goodwill. At a time when public debate can feel increasingly angry and divided, Helen has always been a steadfast example of grace and civility. These are dark days, but moments like this remind us of the values that Helen embodies: kindness over cruelty, respect over anger and compassion over division. This morning, Helen's husband, Phil, issued us a clarion call to change our country for the better. It is a call to all of us in this place to conduct ourselves with civility and respect.

A few months ago, while I was out doorknocking in my electorate, I met someone who had recently migrated to Australia. They were surprised to see me walking through the neighbourhood on my own. They told me that, in the country that they had come from, politicians travelled with armed guards and were separated from the communities that they served. That conversation has stayed with me ever since. I don't want that in this country. One of the greatest strengths of Australia's democracy is that our elected representatives remain accessible. We meet people in shopping centres, at train stations and at their front doors. We listen to them, learn from them and serve them. That openness is something precious. We cannot allow fear to erode the fundamental relationship between elected representatives and the communities we represent. At the same time, this attack is a sobering reminder that we must never take the safety of our colleagues, our staff or our communities for granted. I want to acknowledge Helen's staff, particularly those who were there on that terrible day. Electorate staff are often the unseen heroes of our democracy. They work tirelessly for their communities and stand beside their members through the best and worst of times. What they experienced was deeply traumatic, and I want them to know that all of us in this parliament are thinking of them and supporting them.

In the days since this attack, Australians from every corner of the country have come together to send Helen their love and support. That outpouring of kindness says so much about who Helen is. She has spent a lifetime caring for others, and now it is our turn to care for her. Helen, we are thinking of you. We are standing with you. We are wishing you strength, healing and a full recovery. Most of all, we thank you for the example you have set for all of us—an example of service, an example of decency and an example of the very best of Australia.