Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, I was unable yesterday to speak on the motion moved by the Leader of the House in relation to the murder of Sir David Amess, so I will take this opportunity to reflect on this shocking act of violence against an elected representative to the British House of Commons. I offer my deepest sympathies to Sir David's family, his colleagues, those who knew him and all of his constituents of Southend West.

Sir David is the second British MP in the last five years to be killed meeting with his constituents. We remember, at this time, Ms Jo Cox was murdered by far Right terrorists in 2016. Sadly, Sir David was also a victim of terrorist violence. Both Ms Cox and Sir David were murdered meeting with people from their electorates. An integral part of the work of elected representatives, like all of us here in this place, is meeting with our constituents, those who may have voted for us and those who did not. Just last week, I held mobile office stalls on the Rockingham foreshore and at Secret Harbour followed by a very uplifting doorknock through this beautiful coastal suburb. But in the back of my mind, I could not help but think of the tragic events recently in Britain.

Like many here, my office has been the subject of intense harassment by a small number of constituents. Some people who seek to harass and intimidate MPs and their electorate office staff are clearly deeply disturbed and have not been able, for whatever reason, to address their challenges. Others seem to be simply at the end of their tether from the pressures of daily life. But others simply think they are entitled to behave in any manner they wish to members of parliament and their electorate office staff. While MPs are the focus of such aggression, and I can tell you can be frightening and deeply unsettling, we must always remember it is the good, hardworking electorate officers who bear the brunt of much of the harassment that is dealt out by so very few of our constituents. In any consideration in this place and elsewhere of the personal security of MPs and senators, we must always consider the people who act as electorate officers and ensure they too are kept safe.

Bringing to a civil end ongoing incidents of harassment and intimidation of electorate offices and those who work in them should be a clear priority. I want to make it very clear that I will not meet with people who are entirely uncivil or who harass my staff or who enter into my electorate office yelling out demands to see me and intimidating everyone present, including other constituents seeking my assistance. No-one should put up with that behaviour. I will not. I will not let other constituents endure such behaviour and I will do all that I can to ensure that my staff in my electorate office do not have to put up with it. I know everyone here, all elected representatives, will do all they can to ensure their staff—hardworking people representing our communities right across this nation—do not have to bear the brunt of abuse, intimidation and harassment by so very few people in our community.