I rise to speak to this motion by the Prime Minister to send our love to the member for Indi, to Phil and their children and families, to Helen's staff and to the people of Indi. Much of what I say today will already have been said in this chamber, and this is testament to the woman that we're talking about. When someone is smart, generous and kind to every single person in this place every single day, we all end up with this, with stories of graciousness, and Helen is that consistent. Long before I considered running as a community Independent, Indi was the blueprint. In Indi, Cathy McGowan first showed how politics could be done differently. I read The Indi Way and I learned in theory about radical trust, community organising and putting local people at the centre of the national agenda. There must be something in the water in Indi, because in 2019 came Dr Helen Haines, the embodiment of all the grassroots democratic values and methods espoused by McGowan. Helen turned up and showed what being a community leader truly looks like.

I mentioned that she's smart. I sat here watching her over there be the 'Leader of the House whisperer', a role she played particularly well during the crossbench's attempt to receive government support for a complete ban on gambling advertising. During the debate, each of us called divisions on all of our amendments, and it was taking the House hours. The government was getting increasingly frustrated, and the Leader of the House, who's usually a picture of equanimity, was starting to fume. But the member for Indi rose in her seat and clearly and calmly proposed a way through. She read the room. She read the man. She put forward a solution supported by her colleagues, and she delivered it with aplomb. I sometimes get asked about who the next prime minister should be, and without hesitation I offer up Dr Helen Haines, Australia's first Independent prime minister. My word, I think she would meet the challenge of the office very well, do good and do us proud.

I also mentioned that she's generous and kind. Helen was the first member of this House to send me a gift after being sworn in—wine from Indi and flowers. For my first speech, she also sent flowers. When my mother passed away two weeks ago, Helen sent flowers again. Last week, Phil told us that Helen loves flowers. I wasn't surprised. On the crossbench, we've got a saying. You've heard it before. 'What would Helen do?' I've asked myself that more times than I can count, and the answer always boils down to the same core principles: get across your brief; listen to the experts but particularly to your community; listen and level with the people about trade-offs; make a decision; treat people with respect, every single one of them; and, above all, do it with kindness.

When Phil spoke outside Alfred hospital last week with a courage I don't think any of us are going to forget any time soon, he said that two of the most important parts of Helen are her heart and her mind and that both of those are in really good shape. I haven't stopped thinking about that, because I think this is key to who Helen is. She never lets her mind get in the way of her heart, and she never lets her heart get in the way of her mind. We're often told that these two things can pull against each other, that compassion and leadership are incompatible. I think Helen has spent her whole life proving that wrong.

In Helen, kindness is not an absence of strength; it is her strength. Helen was the first in this place—the first Australian MP—to commit to the civility pledge, and I would like to put my name to that now. When engaging in politics, I commit to use a civil and constructive tone in debate; to act with integrity, honesty and compassion; and to behave respectfully towards others, including those with whom I disagree. What happened in Wangaratta last Monday does not define Helen, and it must not define us. Helen often says that Australians have good hearts and that we can argue hard, disagree well and never lose sight of the person in front of us. Helen, the road ahead will be long. Mend swiftly. Mend well. We will be here, continuing to ask, 'What would Helen do?' We love you, Helen.

When the member for Jagajaga and I were in Wangaratta, Helen sent me a text saying she'd heard a rumour we were passing through the queendom of Indi and inviting us to her home. When my office was set alight, Helen sent me a text saying that she was thinking of me and my team. When Bondi felt terror, Helen sent me a message saying she sent love and solidarity to me and the entire Jewish community. When my partner, Georgie, wrote a piece about the abuse towards women in politics titled 'I face sexist abuse every day as a female MP – misogyny is unacceptable whatever side of the aisle we're on', Helen sent me a message of her thanks to Georgie for her excellent piece. Helen knows the way that we talk to each other is also a reflection of how women and girls around the country are spoken to.

Helen is the standard of civility, thoughtfulness and empathy that is the example of how our democracy should be. It is impossible to make sense of what has happened to Helen or how a person who has only put kindness and care out to the world for 65 years could have something so heartless and cruel happen to her. But what does make sense is what happened immediately after. Neighbours rushed to Helen's rescue. Staff tended to their beloved boss. First responders and healthcare workers expertly treated Helen's wounds. Her community came together to comfort each other and show their appreciation for their champion. A country held their breath and paused to think of a person so worthy of sitting in the precious House of Representatives. Her life partner and best friend, Phil, showed the country the grace and wisdom that Helen loves deeply in the hour that we all needed.

To spend time with Helen Haines in her community is to see what representation is meant to be. Helen does not need to be here, but she chooses to use her fierce intellect and her empathy to improve the lot of the community that she so deeply cares for. If you look at the causes that Helen champions, they give us an insight into what Dr Haines sees. In her first term, she sought support for regional communities to share the economic benefits of the energy transition. Helen tirelessly campaigned for improvements to regional health care and mental health care. Helen helped shape, and still oversees the operation of, the National Anti-Corruption Commission. Helen wanted people to know that the regions give so much to the country, but too often miss out on the spoils. Helen wanted the same care for her community that she knows is available in the city. Helen Haines knows that the way government and politics conducts itself in this place needs institutions that still build trust in our democracy.

To meet this moment, it is best to look at Helen. We need to see the economic struggles of our communities. We need to see that our communities receive the care that every one of us needs. We need to conduct ourselves as the leaders our communities deserve. We need to ensure not just that women and girls are safe, which they are not, but also that they have the confidence to take their place in public life, in hospitals or in businesses; to walk on our streets; or to just get things out of their cars. This place needs people like Helen, and I want my daughters to be able to see an example of strength, empathy and intellect in public life. I look forward to when they see you, Helen, return to your rightful place in this chamber as the member for the queendom of Indi.

A gracious smile, a glistening eye, a warm 'good morning, Zoe', a mischievous grin, grace, elegance, brilliance and beauty, moderation, conviction, consensus and community—Helen Haines has been a lioness in this place but not through a roar or booming words and not by table-banging or by shouting from the sidelines. Never a sharp word nor a sledge during question time—no, not Helen. But don't mistake the quietness for indifference. Helen notices. She notices when one of us speaks from our soul. Like Gordon, our House chaplain, who I affectionately refer to as our 'grief angel', Helen never misses her moment. Speak from the heart in this place and she will appear. There will be a more poignant 'hello' in the corridor and a more directed smile. She was a midwife, after all. At the rawest moments of human emotion, Helen's has been the outstretched hand.

I wanted Helen to know the response of my community to what happened to her a week ago. People were startled, but not just that—they shuddered in pain for her. They asked me plainly how we could just keep getting up the next day and doing the same thing—not just the practice of politics but the physical fortitude of getting up and doing it all again when the worst-case scenario that sits behind online and real-world abuse has now grown so much darker. Our traditional 'suck it up' approach, all of a sudden, felt so stupid. My constituents channelled their grief for Helen into care for us. People randomly turned up at my electorate office to check that my team were okay. My phone filled with messages of care for me and for my staff.

My local Climate 200 candidate suggested we do a video together 'to bring the community together, as a sign of leadership and solidarity'. With regret, I politely declined, reminding him that the conduct and character of his team and supporters regularly made my team, my volunteers and me feel unsafe, requiring the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police to be engaged in the 2025 campaign. We talk of hope in this place today that things will be done differently, but let us not let hope blind us to the hypocrisy of some who call for it.

Elsewhere, my community took to their keyboards to share their grief. One group, so emblematic of others, wrote to me:

On behalf of Dromana Bowls Club let me take this opportunity to offer you and your colleagues, no matter what side of the political divide they represent, our heartfelt condolences in the aftermath of the shocking recent attack on Helen Haines.

Zoe … Your compassion, interest and care for every member of my club has been unequivocal over a number of years now, and your ability to engage with those you meet has always been an outstanding quality that you possess.

I am sure that the people of Indi … along with their local clubs and organisations such as ours here on the Peninsula, would say the exact same thing about her.

The job you all perform is never easy, and as we now know, dangerous in the random cycle of violence our own society, is currently experiencing.

What happened this week is a tragedy, and not what our great country should be seen for.

No decent individual, no matter what their politics may be, nor their calling in life, should have to contend with the vile individuals who perpetuate hate while wallowing in, contributing to, and nourishing the dark, heinous underbelly of social media.

We all pray for the survival, and eventual full recovery, of your esteemed colleague Helen Haines.

I would like to add to the spirit of the words expressed by my community the words of someone who should be here beside me today and who I hope one day will be back soon, the former member for Menzies, Keith Wolahan, to whom Helen Haines is so dear through their work together on the National Anti-Corruption Commission. He reflected:

When I first heard she had been hurt, I reached for my phone to send her a message.

As I realised how serious it was, I knew she wouldn't get it.

So I scrolled back through what she had sent me over the years.

When we worked together on the NACC, she would often invite me over for tea and homemade cake from her electorate.

She would put her case, but she also genuinely listened when I disagreed.

Sometimes the invitation had no purpose other than to reunite me with a long-lost friend: "Keith—I have a chum of yours in my office, who is keen to have a cuppa—we have a substantial 'bunghole'—his term, not mine."

For Hansard, "bunghole" is army-speak for the cake issued in ration packs.

It is nowhere near as good as Helen's.

She continued to stay in touch after I lost, checking in on me and my family.

Helen listened as generously as she argued.

It was an honour to serve with her.

Get well my friend—

from all of us.

I too rise today to extend both my and my community's heartfelt love, thoughts and best wishes to Helen, her husband, Phil, her family, her friends, her electorate office team and her community at this extremely difficult time. We all can't wait to have Helen back in here with us in the chamber continuing her strong advocacy for her community and for regional Australia. Like all of us, I was deeply shocked and saddened by the horrific attack on the member for Indi outside her electorate office in Wangaratta. This attack has indeed shocked and saddened Australians nationwide, including so many in my electorate in northern New South Wales. I really want to acknowledge the first responders, the emergency services personnel, the medical professionals, all those members of the public who came to her assistance and those who continue to care for Helen.

Helen is such a well-loved member of her community, and that's evident by the outpouring of love from so many individuals and community groups right throughout her electorate. She's also very well respected and loved here in this parliament in all of our dealings with her, as is evident by all the speeches today. As we've heard from so many and as we all know, Helen is such a kind, decent, hardworking and intelligent woman. Her insights, grace and dignity bring an important and special dimension to every situation. She always approaches her role with genuine compassion and the desire to make a real difference. Helen's always dedicated so much to serving regional communities, including caring for others throughout her previous work in health care as a nurse, midwife, researcher and advocate for regional health services.

Since coming to parliament, we've all seen the passion, integrity and decency that Helen's displayed through her tireless work to deliver for her community and the very causes that she's committed to. Throughout Helen's time in parliament, she's always championed policies aimed at strengthening the long-term prosperity, resilience and sustainability of regional Australia. She consistently uses her voice to highlight the unique challenges faced by our regional communities and to ensure those communities are included in all of our national policy discussions. Of course, she's especially passionate about integrity as well, playing a very major role in this parliament in the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, or the NACC, and serving as a deputy chair on that committee. Her work on the NACC demonstrates her desire to strengthen the public's trust in our institutions and ensure accountability for governments.

I especially want to thank and acknowledge Helen's husband, Phil, for being here with us earlier today and, firstly, sharing his love for and devotion to Helen and, secondly, reminding all of us of the role we have in ensuring a more civil approach to the differences we may have in our communities and to the nature of our discourse and debates, and of the need to turn the temperature down in political debates.

While the police investigation into this horrific attack is still underway, this attack is a shocking reminder to all of us of the incredible rise in anger and violence in our community and of the decline in our social fabric. It's something we have all seen and been commenting upon here today. In fact, as we move forward, it's a matter that we all play a part in. All of us in this parliament, in every parliament, right throughout the general community and in the media as well have a strong role to play. We all need to be playing a role when it comes to that, because we've all seen the rise in anger and violence across the community, particularly over the last few years, and the intensity in the anger that's there. We see it against our police, first responders, teachers, healthcare workers, hospitality workers and retail workers. This has to change. It seems to get worse and worse all the time. As I said, we're all responsible—all of us—for ensuring the political debate in this country remains respectful. Of course we all accept disagreements, criticism and debate as part of our vibrant democracy, but we never, ever accept violence.

Indeed, as many people have commented today as well, social media has a major role to play. The platforms really need to turn the temperature down. They really need to do that. They should stop fuelling the anger and division we see in promoting many divisive algorithms that do fuel the division and do fuel the anger within people. We know that this contributes to the demise of our social fabric and the rise of anger and violence in our community. So we all have a role to play, right across the board, and we all need to step up and do that.

But today is the day that we that we send our love to Helen. I join with everyone in this House in sending our deepest love to Helen and her family. We all, of course, wish her an incredibly speedy recovery, and we very, very much look forward to Helen being right back here in the chamber with all of us.

Dr Helen Haines is a woman of presence, style, intellect, empathy and compassion. Helen knows every corner, every waterway and every street in her electorate of Indi and is tirelessly committed to representing Indi and the greater good of all Australians in this federal parliament. Helen has the unique ability and the true intellect to listen and entertain the strongest argument against her own position, weigh it on its merits and still arrive at a reasoned and safe conclusion to the benefit of it all.

To Helen's husband, Phil, to Helen's family, to Helen's staff and to the beloved community of Indi, I and the constituency of Farrer extend our deepest sympathy. Helen is a fighter, and we pray for Helen's recovery. Helen is the best of us. We are with every breath of Helen's recovery.

To conclude, I'd like to leave Helen and her family with a short little Irish blessing:

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Today, the member for Indi is not in her place in this chamber. She's in Melbourne in hospital, where she's been in the fight of her life. So I stand here thinking of her, wishing for her recovery and sending my best thoughts, my solidarity and my love to her husband, Phil, who has been absolutely extraordinary, their children, their wider family, their incredible team and, indeed, all of those who love her. I think it's important that I do so myself and on behalf of all the people I'm representing in this place, knowing that the people of Indi right now are being denied the representation of their concerns and their values in the most cruel way, knowing that this place and our politics have been and will be so much the better for the contribution of Helen Haines.

But there's something else about what happened last week in Wangaratta that we as representatives and as members of the Australian community must address. We need to do better and we need to be better. This is about our politics, but it's not just about our politics. ASIO Director-General Burgess said last week:

Elevated levels of grievance, intolerance and polarisation continue to create a permissive environment of violence.

He's made this point before. Surely now we must heed it? This permissive environment of violence is affecting the lives of workers in hospitality and in retail, workers in many public service roles in health care and education and our first responders, as well as, too, our staff, the frontline workers of politics. How we manage our disagreements really matters. That occupational violence is seemingly becoming a regular means by which people seek to resolve conflict is utterly unacceptable. I have said that this isn't solely an aspect of our politics, and it is important that we all recognise that this doesn't solely affect politicians, but addressing this is a matter for political leadership. I'm proud of that which has been shown by our prime minister, as well as many others across the parliament.

I note that AFP Commissioner Barrett said yesterday:

Words matter, and we do see the flow-on impact from that.

We can't look away now from the flow-on impacts—the consequences of a degraded democratic environment are simply horrific for individuals and for the strength and the health of our society—because politics isn't and cannot be a spectator sport. Public life belongs to all of us. It must. As we look to understand what happened to Helen Haines and what has been happening all around us, we have to remember this. We need everyone to feel that their voice can be heard safely. We can't let fear deny Australians the involvement that they seek in their communities, in shaping their future, in having their say.

There's a note pinned up in my office here with some kind words written to me and to my team too, on what was a very tough day for us, sent together with a very beautifully made and iced cake, of course. It was sent at a time when the member for Indi wasn't exactly in support of all of the things that I was seeking her to support in my role. That note and that care sum up the Helen Haines that I'm so proud to know and even prouder to have had the privilege of working alongside. So many of the tributes that have been paid so powerfully and eloquently to the member for Indi reflect on this proposition that I think builds on that: what would Helen do? For all of us lucky enough to know her, it's a pretty good question to ask. My commitment to that note, thinking of her as I go about my work, is a little bit different. I hope that she wouldn't mind that. As a proud Labor member and a proud Melburnian too, I should of course do things differently from Helen from time to time at least. But, as I go about that work, I will always consider, 'How would Helen do this?' and try to emulate the way in which she did better by being better. Come back very soon, Helen.

This House is diminished today. It feels empty. Someone very important to this place is not physically with us, and we all feel that devastating absence. Yet this place is full today. It's full of shared respect, of recognition, of fellow feeling. It is the remarkable member for Indi, Helen, who modelled all of that, who has done the seemingly impossible and brought us all together here around what is important, around the reason we should all be here.

I just want to share a little personal story that says so much about Helen. Monday of the last sitting week was my birthday, a dreaded milestone birthday. The very first thing that greeted me here early that morning was a beautiful gift from Helen. This gift from Helen was a lovely, beautifully wrapped and beribboned potted plant with special birthday card wishes—funny and loving wishes. Helen had organised a dinner date for Tuesday evening in honour of my birthday. I thought it was to be a deux, but again, in typical Helen fashion, she surprised me with other guests—many crossbench friends, these wonderful women who surround us here. What a treat—Helen, so hardworking, so committed, so busy but always so caring, getting us all together after another big day for a laugh and hugs. Helen does that. We need that. We need Helen.

There's a particularly cruel joke that claims, 'If you need a friend in Canberra, get a dog.' However, I reckon that, if you find someone who has entered parliament to serve the interests of their constituents, not their sponsors; someone with the integrity, the maturity, the experience, the self-knowledge to prioritise the interests of real people and of nation over self-advancement; someone who looks deep into her community to understand and to truly represent them; someone who works to make real change to benefit all of us; someone with the calm assurance and wisdom that come from a lifetime of diligence, commitment and vision; someone to share in a good joke and some mutual eyerolling, which is so necessary around here—if you find that person, befriend that person. You'll probably find that person is also kind to dogs. Thanks, Helen. We love you. The love and respect in this House here today is absolutely palpable. I am wishing you all the care and love you always bring to everyone else.

Helen Haines, member for Indi, as we have heard, is the best of us. Possessed of a sharp mind and a soft heart, Helen brings intelligence and compassion to all that she does. Helen is good. The attack on Helen has clearly left our nation reeling. This goes to the heart of our democracy and how we see ourselves as a country. I believe most Australians, like Helen, are also good. Even as we are in this moment, we see people who look out for their neighbours. We value our community.

On Friday last week, I hosted the Caroline Chisholm Volunteer Awards, which is an annual event in my electorate where we honour our exceptional volunteers. It was an affirming night, and we acknowledged Helen, and I want to let Helen know that the community in Chisholm applauded her and her service and send their love to her and her community in Indi.

In tough moments, I find comfort in music and literature and the wisdom of people through history, and I hope that the quote I'm going to offer—I could have picked many quotes—offers some comfort to those who feel the world looks a little bit dark at the moment. It is something people might remember from The Lord of the Rings. It's Tolkien:

The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.

I think we cling to that idea that, even though the world is dark, light still shines, and I think Helen always has shown us how bright that light can be both here and for her community.

We do need to confront, though, the ugliness of this moment and the work all of us need to do to be better. There is a sense of grievance in the community, and those of us who serve in this place must lift the standard, and those on social media and, frankly, mainstream media need to play their part to. We need to focus on good analysis of policy. We need to focus on making sure that we have genuine conversations about the direction this country heads in without resorting to personal attacks, without inflaming hate. It seems there is a never-ending carousel of fury and that some people, when they are engaging with that, make poor decisions that are violent decisions. The ripples of rage are right through our community. Yes, politicians are, at this moment, being discussed, but we also discuss the way people who are working on the front line as healthcare workers, as educators in schools and working in retail and service industries are confronting unacceptable anger and violence.

But where to next? I reflect on Phil Haines's very generous words that he shared this morning. It is clear we must all do better and do ourselves a service by being more like Helen, a woman of deep integrity. In my first speech here I quoted—I like quotes, to give me a sense of an anchor at times—a suffragist maxim which is 'Courage calls to courage everywhere'. I feel that Helen's courage, and her family's courage, should call on all of us to do better. Another suffragist quote is 'Deeds, not words'. We need to act. We need to acknowledge, too, that words can be deeds and can be connected to some of the revolting acts that we have seen in recent times. I don't pretend that I'm always perfect here, but I will always strive to do what I can. I send my love to Helen, her family, her staff and her community, who I know must be struggling right now. I hope we see Helen really soon.

I rise today to support our colleague the member for Indi, Helen Haines. Like Australians right across our country, our communities and I were shocked and deeply saddened by the vicious and violent attack on Helen outside her electorate office in Wangaratta.

As I travelled around our electorate of Calare last week, it was the issue that was on the minds of our residents. People wanted to talk about it. Since that horrific time and that crime, our thoughts have been very much with Helen, Phil, their children and their whole family. We've also been thinking about Helen's staff. Those of us who work in electorate offices know how close-knit our teams become. You work alongside each other through the good days and the difficult ones. When something happens to one member of that team, it affects everyone. I want Helen's staff to know that we're thinking of them as well through all of this.

Earlier today, Helen's husband, Phil, addressed MPs and gave us an update on Helen's health. The message he gave on behalf of Helen was that Helen wants this to be a moment of change in how politics is conducted in this country. The increasing aggressiveness and nastiness in Australian politics is an issue that Australia must come to terms with, but politicians of all political persuasions have a role to play—and it's a big role. Politicians must lead on this. While there have been many fine words and sentiments expressed since the events of that awful day—words no doubt expressed sincerely and honestly—those words must now be backed up by action and deeds. We will be judged on our actions. As Phil Haines said today, politicians set the tone in the things they do, say and authorise—for example, what we say in this place and what we say or let others say for us online.

One thing political parties and candidates can do is lay down some strict guidelines about behaviour of party members and volunteers—for example, when they're working on polling booths. In all my years of political involvement, I've never seen such a level of nastiness, intimidation and aggression as I did on the Calare booths at the last federal election. By not setting standards and not pulling people into line when those standards are breached it sends a message to the wider community that it's acceptable. I've heard some very commendable words in this House today, but, as I have said, we, as politicians, will be judged by our actions on this.

There are other issues of national importance that arise from this horrific attack, and they cannot and should not be overlooked as MPs and our communities try to come to terms with what has happened. They require urgent attention. The first is the shocking rates of violence perpetrated against women, where one in three Australian women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15. It's a shocking statistic. Another issue is the need to bolster health services and mental health services in country Australia. Helen has been a tireless advocate for equality between city and country on health services, and that mission remains just as relevant and important in the aftermath of this horrific attack than it ever was and ever has been.

Independents are all about changing politics. Just by being here, the crossbench is doing that in many different ways. We break the hold that the major parties have had over politics for far too long. Independents are not beholden to a political party. The only people we answer to are the people who sent us here. You have to fight for them, and that's what Helen does. She fights for her communities, her constituents and her country, Australia.

Helen is thoughtful, kind, determined and deeply committed to the communities she represents. It's our fervent hope that she will at some point return to this House to continue her mission in fighting for country communities. Violence in all its forms must be condemned and repudiated. Let's hope that, as Helen has wished, this horrific attack is a turning point for the better in the way in which political debate and discussion occurs in this country. I, along with my staff and the communities of Calare, send Helen, her family, her staff and her communities our thoughts, love and support in this deeply traumatic time.

I rise today to speak about our parliamentary colleague and friend the member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines. It is difficult to find the words to describe the shock and sadness we have all felt following the devastating news of the attack on Helen outside her electorate office in Wangaratta. Like so many people across this country, I have been thinking of Helen, her family, her staff and the community she represents.

Helen is a person of extraordinary integrity, intellect and compassion. She is a thoughtful and principled parliamentarian, a formidable advocate for her community and, above all, a genuinely lovely person. Those qualities are not separate from one another. They are at the very heart of who Helen is and how she approaches her work. As the Independent member for Indi, Helen has demonstrated that representing a community is about much more than holding a seat in this parliament. Being a federal member is about listening. It is about showing up. It is about taking people's concerns seriously even when the solutions are complicated or the political path is difficult. It is about being accessible to the people who have placed their trust in you. Helen embodies those qualities. She has earned the respect of colleagues across the parliament not simply because of her knowledge and ability but because of the way she conducts herself. She is intelligent without being arrogant, determined without being abrasive and passionate about her work without ever losing sight of the people at the centre of it. She asks difficult questions. She pursues accountability. She is prepared to stand her ground when she believes something matters. She does all of that with a decency and humanity that command respect. She is warm, generous and kind. She treats people with respect regardless of their position or political affiliation. She is the sort of person who makes time for others and who genuinely wants to understand their experiences. In a parliament where we will inevitably disagree, those qualities matter enormously.

We can argue passionately about policy. We can hold very different views about how our country should be governed. We can challenge one another's decisions and demand better from one another. Indeed, robust debate is an essential part of our democracy. But none of that should ever come at the expense of our shared humanity. No-one should have to fear for their safety because they have chosen to serve their community. No-one should have to worry that going to work, meeting constituents or walking into their own electorate office might expose them to violence. No-one should have to endure an attack of this kind.

The consequences of what has happened to Helen extend well beyond one individual. Her family is facing an unimaginable ordeal. Her staff have experienced a deeply traumatic event. Her community has been shaken by the violence inflicted on someone who has spent years working on its behalf. All of us in parliament have been reminded in the most confronting way of the vulnerability of those who have put themselves forward for public service. We must never take for granted the people who choose to serve their communities. We must never lose sight of the fact that every member of this parliament is a person with a family, with friends, with hopes and plans for the future and with people who love them.

I also wish to acknowledge the people of Wangaratta and the wider Indi community, including those who rushed to Helen's aid and those who have rallied around her and her family in the days since the attack. The compassion and courage shown by members of the community are a powerful reminder of the good in people, even in the face of something so confronting and distressing. To Helen's husband, Phil, and her family and staff, I extend my heartfelt thoughts and support during this incredibly difficult time. And to Helen herself, I say this: You are a valued colleague, a respected parliamentarian and a much loved friend to many in this place. You have given so much of yourself, and to the people of Indi you have brought intelligence, integrity and compassion in your work. And you have shown us what public service looks like when it is grounded in a genuine commitment to people. We are all deeply sorry that you have suffered this terrible attack.

I've had people in my own community of Aston sending me messages of love and support to you, saying how much they admire you and your dedication to your community. Helen, we are all wishing you strength and sending you and your family our love and solidarity, and we look forward to the day when we welcome you back among us. I commend Helen Haines, the member for Indi, and extend my deepest sympathy and support to her, her family, her staff and the entire Indi community.

It's a privilege to rise and say a few words about our colleague and friend Helen Haines, the member for Indi, in this terrible time of trial that she is going through, as well as her family and her community in Indi. I want to extend on behalf of my electorate all our thoughts and wishes, our concern for her and her children and grandchildren and her husband, Phil, and for the community and their safety and all the things that go with such a horrible and tragic incident of this nature.

Helen is a special person. She is a gentle person and a person with a very kind soul. It is very hard to process that something of this horrific nature could happen to someone who is so good. It's been a real privilege to get to know her here in this place and to work with her. I've seen her up close, and I think the Prime Minister said it very well when he said that she has an 'irrepressible twinkle in her eyes'. She does have that ability to constantly speak to you with her eyes in a way that you know that she actually cares about what you are saying and has an interest in what you are doing.

We heard about this extraordinary attack, and people have tried to process it after hearing about it. I think we have to be careful not to rush to an interpretation or overcorrect on something so terrible and have to take the time to allow the investigative processes and the proper things to occur in a rule-of-law country like Australia, which they are doing. But of course there will be things that need to change following something of this nature, and there will be things we can improve. Helen, through her husband, Phil, spoke to us as parliamentarians this morning. I've got to say, Phil has been an amazing contributor to the national stage himself in stepping up for Helen at this moment and setting an example for men and boys around the country of a supportive partner of a strong woman like Helen as well as speaking her words for her at the moment to say it is something she wants to see change. We heard from him this morning particularly about the two police officers who were killed at Porepunkah, in Helen's electorate, sadly, an example of other violence.

We see too often the instinct in Australia today to initiate force or to use violence as a means of expressing a frustration or resolving a problem. Every one of us has an inherent interest in community safety and setting a standard where violence is unacceptable. You have no right to initiate force against another citizen, and we must protect that right and protect all the people in our society, all the frontline people who do difficult jobs in emergency departments—and Helen was in an emergency department for our police, who have to turn up and administer our laws and protect our society—and also our representatives in parliament.

So whatever the reasons that come from this, and we should look at them—whether it is mental health facilities or services, as members of the teals have raised, or whether it is long-term drug use and its effects on people and how we handle that—we must address those things and continue to address them to make sure we minimise the prospect of violence of this nature happening to anyone.

I do want to say, on Wangaratta, that my wife and her family are from the electorate of Indi. We spend a lot of time in Wodonga. Wangaratta is probably one of the most quintessential Australian towns. That part of the world is just so beautifully Australian, and Helen really embodies that electorate so well. She's part of that community and from that community.

You see out of this tragedy that Helen's instinct is to make sure that Save the Children sees money out of this—a very Australian reaction. When something horrible, that we can't really process, has happened to her, she has asked people to give to a charity organisation. I saw the same in Danny and Leila Abdallah, who lost their children near my electorate and became close friends of mine. When they were wiped out, their instinct was to start a charity and forgive the perpetrator. The Australian reaction to violence is to beat it with a commitment to peace, hope, love and charity. Helen told us today, in simple words through the Speaker and her husband, that she loves us all in this parliament, again showing that Australian response to tragedy, horror and violence that we should all be very, very proud of. We are very proud of you, Helen. We're proud of your response and of your family coming together and showing us the Australian way to handle this terrible tragedy. We're right behind you, and we're with you. All our best wishes are for you. Anything we can do for you and your electorate—we will come together at this time.

I want to acknowledge our indomitable parliamentary colleague the member for Indi, Helen Haines MP. I want to acknowledge Helen as a thoroughly good person, a friend to so many in this place, a loved one to so many more, a nurse, a midwife, a health researcher and academic, and a passionate advocate for rural health care, housing, action on climate change, stamping out corruption and enhancing government integrity.

Helen's and my offices were once side by side in this place, and I got to know her. I also have family in her electorate. I have fond memories of travelling with her on delegations, when you get to know people, as well. We also served together on the regional development, infrastructure and transport committee, and, again, I was impressed about everything to do with Helen and the way she operated. When I faced challenges myself, she reached out to me. She's a thoroughly great person. I send the best wishes of my brother Dan Gosling and his family from Yackandandah in Indi. But, really, our whole family's prayers are with Helen, Phil, the kids, all the family, friends, staff and everyone who's a loved one of Helen's. And I want to acknowledge everyone who responded.

On Friday evening in Darwin and Palmerston we had message books so that members of my electorate could write messages to Helen. Some messages were from Territorians who had previously lived in Wangaratta. One of them says:

Dear Helen, we are sending all our love from Darwin. We recently relocated from Wang and miss your smiling face along Wilson Road.

It's a very local message. But many other Territorians stopped by, from every political party, and I want to mention some of those briefly. From Selena Uibo MLA:

Dear Helen, sending best wishes for your recovery. As an elected member…I know the honour and sacrifice of public office. Thank you for your community service and thinking of you at this critical time. Much prayers and care.

From Justine Davis MLA:

Dear Helen, you are and have always been the best of us. So many people have said this in the last few days—what was done to you was unfathomable. Love and strength to you and all those who love you, your family, your community—we are with you across Australia. You have had an enormous influence on me and model everything I believe about how we should all be in this world. Thank you so much. Love to you.

From Clinton Howe MLA:

In the face of adversity we find our greatest courage. Never give up and don't let the darkness of the world reduce your resolve. Wishing you a speedy recovery. On behalf of the people in Palmerston…

Our dear friend Warren Snowdon, a former member of this place and former member for Lingiari, sent his very best wishes, as did former chief minister of the Northern Territory Eva Lawler, who said:

To Helen, you and your family are in the hearts of all Territorians. We wish you a smooth and quick recovery. Sending all our strength and best wishes…Eva Lawler.

There have been so many messages from everyday Territorians as well. It is, I think, a tribute to Helen that there has been such an outpouring of support for Helen and her family. There are many voices from the Territory that are sending love not only to Helen but also to her family.

For me personally, it's just a great honour to know the member for Indi. I really look forward to her returning to this place. I might give the last word on this to my family because, at this time, we all think of our families, who sacrifice so much for the important work that we do in this place. I quote my family:

Helen, there are no words that can convey the depth of our horror and the immense love that rises against it. You are incredible—as is your family and community that support you in this difficult and dark time. I do not know what comes next but I know you will face it with grace and strength.

All of the love from my family to yours, Helen.

The country town of Wangaratta is the last place anyone would have imagined a brutal attack on a parliamentarian that has left her with horrendous injuries and the loss of her legs. And Helen Haines, in a sense, is the last parliamentarian you would have imagined being attacked in this way. I want to acknowledge Helen's husband, Phil, her children, Will, Nick and Georgia, her family, her staff, her friends and supporters, the toll that the attack is taking on them and the worry about the future of someone who, long before they were a member of parliament, was a wife, a mother and a friend.

Like so many of us, Helen was active in her community before she became an MP. I first met Helen through Cathy McGowan, when Helen came to the hearings of the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition Relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples back in 2018. I remember chatting with Helen over the break in proceedings. As an MP, I've admired the way that Helen's gone about making the case for better telco in her electorate. It's something I've tried to do as well. When Peter Dutton appointed me shadow Attorney-General in 2022, he asked me to spend some time with Helen to look at the work she'd done on a federal anticorruption commission. She gave me a good briefing and listened to my concerns about civil liberties. She was a picture of courtesy. Indeed, as all colleagues know, Helen is always courteous. It's not surprising that she's very well liked and respected across the parliament. All of us here and all of us in my electorate wish Helen a speedy recovery. We want to see her restored to serving her community as their representative in this House in the 48th Parliament, so today we stand in solidarity with Helen Haines.

But we also need to talk about political violence in this country, about extremism and about the tipping point—the moment where, because of grievance, ideology or other reasons, people feel justified in rejecting the normal bounds of politics and straying into physical force. The attacker in this case had some pretty extreme beliefs, but it actually doesn't matter what his beliefs were. Helen wasn't targeted because of her beliefs. Helen Haines was targeted because she was a politician, because she is a member of this parliament and because she is a representative of the people. Although the attack happened to Helen Haines, it could have happened to any other member of this place. The attack on Helen Haines is an attack on the institution of our democracy and on the institution of this parliament. The attack on Helen Haines is an act of political violence. The attack on Helen Haines is an attack on the people of Australia and, more specifically, on the people of Indi. It affects those people's right and the right of Australians to access their representatives. For the people of Indi, this attack denies them their right, for weeks at least, to have a representative that speaks for them in this place and votes on laws in their name.

Let's call out the central issue here—the extremist political ideologies that accept or indulge in violence, philosophies that either explicitly or implicitly say it's okay to use violence and force to achieve political ends. We know who they are: the Neo-Nazis of the extreme right, the ideologues on the hard and green left enabled by their softer friends and fellow travellers in the cultural and academic institutions, and the hate preachers of radical Islam. They are all extremist movements that give a nod and a wink to violence, that celebrate resistance and protest and give tacit approval to take things a little bit further, and that normalise the use of force so that, in the moment or by design, it's seen as an option that's on the table. They don't care who the targets are, but Australians are sick of it. It's our democracy that suffers.

Sadly, as last year's McKinnon Institute poll reveals, there's a growing number of Australians who believe that political violence is acceptable. I suspect there are very few members of parliament who are spared. What happened to Helen Haines is the most egregious case, but we've seen other examples of politically motivated violence in the firebombing of MPs' offices by radical pro-Palestine activists. We've seen it in attacks in person or online against female colleagues, gay colleagues, Muslim colleagues and Jewish colleagues. It doesn't matter where you are on the political spectrum; everyone from Senator Payman to Senator Hanson is in the frame.

So what should our response be? Our job is not to shut down robust debate; our role is to challenge the extremist ideologies that normalise the use of force in the first place. In a robust democracy, there's nothing wrong with people passionately expressing their views—far from it; it's the lifeblood of our parliament and our democratic process. It's why parliament exists; it mediates conflict, it provides a civilised way of resolving disputes—votes, not violence—and it allows government to self-correct when it gets things wrong. Our challenge is to make democracy and parliament work in the 21st century, and that starts with calling out in advance extremist ideologies and philosophies that don't care about the tipping point, to preserve civil disagreement or, better still, disagreement with civility for all Australians. I'll never give up on civility in politics, and, I suspect, neither will Helen Haines.

I rise today to offer my thoughts and prayers to my colleague and friend, Dr Helen Haines, the member for Indi, following the horrific attack against her outside her electorate office in Wangaratta. I first got to know the member for Indi when we travelled together on a delegation to the United States. The member for Solomon, who's next to me, was also on that delegation. It was an opportunity to spend time with Helen away from the usual business of parliament, to hear about her personal story and to learn more about the experiences that shaped the person she is today. What stood out to me was just how caring Helen is. She is someone who genuinely listens to people, takes an interest in their lives and wants to make a difference. That is the person I came to know on that trip, and it is what makes this attack so difficult to comprehend.

The member for Indi was born and raised in rural Victoria and spent more than 30 years working in rural health as a nurse, midwife and researcher. She has dedicated her life to improving rural and maternal health, delivering better outcomes for people in her regional communities. Since entering this parliament, she has continued that commitment by standing up for the people of Indi with dignity, respect and a genuine desire to make their lives better. As the member for Holt, I understand that commitment. Being a local member is about more than standing up in this place and giving speeches; it is about being there for people when they need you, listening to their concerns and making sure they know someone is in their corner. I know how much that responsibility means to the member for Indi.

The member for Indi and I also share a love of baking. For me, baking is one of those simple pleasures that gives you a chance to slow down, switch off from the pressures of the day and do something for the people around you. The member for Indi shares that same passion. Even during the hectic budget week in Canberra, she found time to bake seven sponge cakes for staff and colleagues; that is no small effort. This speaks volumes about the member. In the middle of all the deadlines, the late nights and the pressures of this job, she still makes time to do something thoughtful for the people around her—and that's why what happened to her is so deeply upsetting. Someone who has spent so much of her life caring for others should never have to experience something like this herself.

This incident has highlighted the change in tone of the political discourse in our country, particularly the way women in public life are targeted. Since the pandemic, the number of threats that women in public life receive has increased dramatically. We should be able to passionately challenge each other's ideas, debate policy and hold one another to account. That is democracy. But there is a fundamental difference between disagreeing with someone and threats of violence. The words we use matter. We all have a responsibility to ensure that political disagreement never becomes an excuse for threats, intimidation or violence.

My thoughts are with the member, her family, her staff and the people of Indi. I want to thank everyone in my electorate who has sent through their kind messages following the attack. I know that the thoughts and prayers of our whole community in Holt are with you as you recover, Helen. I am praying for your recovery and I hope that, when you are ready, we will see you back in this chamber. May God be with you. Get well soon.

It is indeed difficult to put into words the concern and sadness that we have all felt since last Monday for our very special colleague the member for Indi. My thoughts and prayers since last Monday have been with Helen, her family, her staff and, of course, her community that she loves so deeply.

Helen was one of the first members I met when we entered this place together in 2019 as classmates. She is someone I have come to know not just as a colleague but as a friend. We do not always agree on everything—that's true—but I've always valued the respect that we share and the genuine conversations we've had along the way. We chat in the hallways and in the chamber, check in on each other from time to time, share dinners and common policy interests and have even travelled together on a parliamentary delegation, as so many other members have outlined.

It is through those moments away from the public spotlight that you get to know the person behind the politician, and Helen is truly a special person. She's compassionate, intelligent, witty and, above all, kind. She is one of the kindest people I've had the privilege of meeting in this place. She has a warmth about her that is genuine and a goodness in her character that those who know her can see alive in her. Helen approaches her work with extraordinary care and dedication. She takes the time to understand legislation. She considers the arguments very carefully and makes decisions based on what she believes is right for her community. She takes her responsibility to the people of Indi very seriously, and that commitment is something that I've always respected in Helen.

Today, we are sadly reminded that, beyond our roles in this building, we are all people. We are mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, friends and loved ones. We do feel sad for Helen and her family. We all have people who care deeply about us and who want nothing more than to see all of us safe and well. My heart goes out to Helen's husband, Phil, who we saw this morning in Parliament House. It was good to hear from him directly about Helen's condition. Our hearts are with her family and everyone closest to her. I can only imagine how difficult and how frightening this time has been for her, her family, her friends and her community. They too are living through something no family should ever have to experience, and I hope they feel the love and support that surrounds them. That is certainly what Phil outlined this morning in his speech.

To Helen's staff, who work alongside her and care about her deeply, and to the people of Indi, who have entrusted her with the privilege of representing them—the privilege that we all have in this place—please know that you are also in our thoughts. We send our love and our prayers to Helen and everyone who is walking this difficult road with her and everyone who's caring for her at this time.

No Australian should ever have to endure violence or intimidation simply for going about their work. We may disagree passionately in this country, and that is part of our democracy, but we must never lose sight of our shared humanity. There is no place for violence in our community, whatever the circumstances.

This week has given all of us a reason to pause, to reflect and to remember the importance of looking after one another. So many Australians are carrying burdens that we cannot see, and so many Australians are carrying mental health burdens. Kindness matters. Checking in on someone matters. Making time for one another really matters. If there's anything we can take from this terrible week, I hope it's a renewed commitment to compassion, to understanding and to the wellbeing of every Australian. Helen has shown those qualities in spades throughout her time in this parliament. She treats people with decency and with respect and she brings kindness into a place where the demands of public life can sometimes make us forget just how much that matters.

Helen, I want you to know that you are valued, you are cared for and you are not alone. On behalf of the good people of Moncrieff on the Gold Coast, we send you our love and all of our support. We send our love to Phil, your family, your friends and everyone who's holding you close in their hearts. We'll continue to keep you in our thoughts and prayers as you face the long road ahead. We hope you feel the strength of the many people who are wishing you well and that, in the difficult days ahead, you are surrounded by comfort, love and the very best care.

Helen, you are a dear friend, a wonderful person and an outstanding Australian. You mean a great deal to so many people, and we'll continue to stand beside you and your family in the weeks and months ahead until we see you again in this chamber.

I'd like to begin by acknowledging the thoughtful, kind and beautiful statements that other members of this place have made today. There is a great deal that divides us in this chamber, but the respect we share for Helen Haines is a strong reminder of what unites us. We all share a deep respect for the member for Indi. Helen is compassionate, intelligent and generous. She works tirelessly for her communities and shows all of us on a daily basis that politics can be done better with more compassion and care for one another.

The events that took place last week have affected so many Australians deeply. The outpouring of support for Helen; her husband, Phil; her family; staff; volunteers and the community she represents has been so heartwarming. It shows the level of respect Australians hold for Helen and it also demonstrates just how much Australians care about their democracy. Australians overwhelmingly believe in a democracy where goodness prevails over hate and fear and where people can engage in politics and go about their work and live their lives without fear of violence.

As members of parliament, it is our job and our privilege to speak directly to our constituents down the street at the local market or street store. I know there have been discussions about whether we can continue to do this in light of what has occurred, but, as others have said today, we should ask the question 'what would Helen do?' She'd say we need to keep going, to keep pushing and to keep fronting up for our communities, because, while I am heartbroken for Helen and her family and heartbroken for our democracy, we cannot allow this incident to tear at the fabric of what we hold dear. I cannot accept the idea that it's normal for any Australian to feel unsafe at work or at home or fearful to step up and represent their community. Whether you're a nurse, paramedic, police officer, teacher, retail worker, support worker or member of parliament, no-one should fear violence while simply doing their job.

Changing the way we conduct ourselves in this place will not, on its own, end violence, but that doesn't mean we don't hold responsibility. We absolutely do. Each of us has a responsibility to consider the example we set, the language we use and the way we disagree with others, and that responsibility extends beyond the chamber. It is also shared by media, social media companies and Australians who comment on digital platforms. We must all understand the difference between robust political debate and a culture that turns disagreement into hate and division, because, at the end of the day, every member in this chamber is here because we want to improve people's lives. Helen was just doing that last Monday, doing a job and caring for her community. It's what she was doing when I listened to her speak during our last sitting week at an event held by Save the Children. She spoke with such eloquence, with intelligence and warmth, about an organisation that cares for the most vulnerable.

Deputy Speaker, through you, I'd like to speak directly to the member for Indi. Helen, I want you to know that Hugh and I send our love and heartfelt best wishes for your recovery. You are much loved, and we look forward to your return. To Phil: your strength, dignity and wisdom at a time of such anguish is a source of inspiration. To Helen's staff, who were among the first responders: thank you for your bravery. What you experienced was deeply traumatic, and I hope you get the support you need during this time. I hope the same for Helen's family and for health professionals who have cared so well for Helen over the past week. On Friday night I took part in a candlelit vigil for Helen in Geelong. So many of my constituents came up to me asking about Helen and sending their best wishes to her. Helen, from my close-knit community, we send our heartfelt love and words of support.

Well, I think all of us would rather we did not have to have a motion of this nature today, particularly for Dr Helen Haines, yet here we are. And I want to acknowledge all the excellent contributions today. I want to begin by first extending my thoughts and prayers to Helen and her family, friends, staff and community. As we've heard from many of the members across the parliament already today, Helen is widely respected by all of us. She is a fierce advocate for her electorate of Indi and for our regions more generally.

When tragedy occurs, people often exaggerate the positive attributes of the victim. Let's face it: you rarely hear someone get up and say, 'Oh, that bloke was an idiot' or 'We didn't like that lady very much.' That's just human nature. But we all know in this place that, in Helen's case, all the positive words that have been spoken by us today and will no doubt be spoken for many hours, until maybe 10 o'clock tonight, are true. We all know that the words that are spoken here that are positive about Helen are true.

Hear, hear!

Hear, hear!

We got a few 'Hear, hear!'s there, and I think it's just incredible, because we all know that the words are true. That's the sort of feedback I've been giving. Many people in Durack have reached out to me, understandably. I represent a very large electorate, and people are worried about me. I said: 'Don't worry about me! Let's just worry about Helen. That's what our focus should be.' But it's truly wonderful, the number of people around the country and even internationally, who are caring about Helen at the moment—and so they should. I just want them to know that all the words you're hearing here about what a wonderful human being she is are all true. We know Helen is kind, she is sincere, she's smart, she's hardworking and she's incredibly passionate about her wonderful regional electorate called Indi.

I want to acknowledge and thank Helen's husband, Phil, who joined us here in the House this morning. Honestly, I can't even imagine what it would be like for my dear partner, Brad, to have to come and face that many politicians. But I tell you what, it takes bravery, it takes courage and of course it takes love and care to address us just a week after the incident and while Helen remains in hospital. So thank you, Phil. It really was very meaningful, your coming to the House to speak to us today.

In the week of reflection since last Monday afternoon, I think the biggest lesson for me has been that we do need to be much kinder to one another, both in this place and in society more broadly. Life is, frankly, far too precious and too short not to be kinder to each other. We don't have to always agree with one another, but we could try harder to disagree respectfully. That kindness was on display last Monday when ordinary Australians rushed to Helen's aid when they were able to restrain the driver. We saw it in the first responders, the paramedics and police officers, who attended the scene last week. They quite simply are the best of us.

Much has been discussed and debated about the way we conduct ourselves as members of parliament in debate. We must not lose what makes our democracy great and what has served our democracy so well, and that is debate and constructive conversations. The role of the opposition is to hold the government to account. We know this is a vital part of our democracy, and we should be proud of the fact that all Australians are heard and represented to get the best outcomes for our country. We should follow Phil's advice in consideration of when we are speaking in the public or in the media or in parliament. We must think whether we are inflaming or whether we're contributing meaningfully to the debate and conversation. It's pretty simple, really. Thanks for the advice, Phil.

Members, particularly we regional members, must not shy away from our responsibilities and roles of representing our very diverse communities, and I note the good member being the deputy speaker here, the member for Lingiari, knows all about those diverse communities. We must not let the darkness win and must instead take inspiration from Helen's first responders. They are what makes Australia great. Across society, we must use this tragedy as a turning point for Australians more broadly. Violence is never okay, whether it's against teachers, nurses, police officers, supermarket workers, paramedics or politicians. It has no place in Australia. Today is not a day for pointing fingers at each other, society or social media. It instead is on all of us to moderate our own actions and maybe even point the finger at ourselves and reflect on how we can do better. To Helen: get well, my friend. Keep fighting. I look forward to seeing your smiling face over there very soon.

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.

I wanted to make a very brief contribution to this debate on behalf of my constituents, the people of the Redlands in Queensland, who, like all of us, have been shocked by what occurred last week and want to send our thoughts and prayers to Helen and her family as she undergoes what will be, I'm sure, a very long and difficult recovery. I won't pretend that I can make the points that have been made any more eloquently than what previous speakers have, but what I would say is that I think that the shock that we all experienced in seeing what occurred last week and what so many in the community also experienced was underscored by the fact that Helen was probably the least likely person that you would think this could possibly occur to. She's not someone who comes to this city and this parliament and tries to stoke controversy or tries to be a divisive figure. She is the exact opposite of that. I think all the reflections that we're hearing from speakers today reflect that fact. She was one of the most well-regarded members of this place, and certainly, in passing her in the corridor in the course of a normal parliamentary day, you would have an immediate sense of her kindness and her genuine interest in how you were going.

I had the pleasure of serving with Helen on the NACC committee over the first part of this term. I recently came off that committee, but her passion on that issue and her advocacy on that issue is obviously going to be one of the hallmarks of her time in parliament, and we hope that she will have many more years in the parliament as well. My experience with her on that committee demonstrated to me that she wasn't just a kind, generous and thoughtful contributor in this place but also genuinely interested in what other people's views were. It wasn't just a sense of 'I've got to pay a bit of lip service to hearing different views'; she genuinely wanted her own views tested against those of other committee members and to get a sense as to what they were thinking so she could refine the concepts that she was trying to push in terms of how we ensure that this new agency achieves what she was hoping it would.

It is very hard to make sense of what's occurred. Of course, we've got to allow the authorities to continue their investigation, and I'm sure that, over time, we will get a clearer picture as to what the twisted motivations were, but what I would say is that any attack on any member of this place or the other place is a direct attack on our democracy. I'm sure that what will be found in the fullness of time is that Helen's position in this place led to her being targeted, and I think that is absolutely horrendous, because it's not just—this attack on any member of the community would be horrendous, but the fact that it was done to someone who's representing 160,000 or 170,000-odd of her fellow Australians in this place and working so hard to represent them to the best of her ability is a direct attack on our democracy and something that we obviously have to stand against no matter what the motivation was.

This morning I had the absolute privilege with the member for Bean of hosting the National Prayer Breakfast, and I want to pass on the many prayers that were had over the course of that event on behalf of Helen and her family, along many prayers from events that were being hosted all around the country, lifting her up in prayer, lifting her family up in prayer, lifting Phil and the children up and for a speedy recovery. Can I just say, on behalf of my community and on behalf of all those who attended the breakfast this morning, I wish Helen and her family a very speedy recovery. We are all thinking of you and we cannot wait for your return. It will be a very bright day when you return to this chamber and can resume your duties.

In my first term in this parliament, I've had only a few interactions with the member for Indi, but you do not need to know someone closely to see the way they carry themselves or to respect someone who has committed themselves to public life. In her first speech, Helen spoke about the privilege and responsibility of representing her community. She also paid tribute to her fellow MPs, thanked members for welcoming her and said:

… I wish each and every one of you the very, very best.

Our democracy depends on people being willing to put their hand up to listen to their communities, to hear people they disagree with and to remember that, even when we disagree, we owe each other respect. The temperature of our public debate has risen. We see it particularly online, where the distance of a screen can make it easy to forget the person on the other side. Politics will always involve disagreement. We should challenge each other and debate strongly, but disagreement does not require contempt, and the responsibility to keep our debate respectful belongs to all Australians.

When I first heard about what had happened, my thoughts immediately went to Helen, her family, her staff and everyone who supported her. I thought about what they must be going through. Then my thoughts turned to my own family. My mum, who was receiving palliative care and living in my front room—I thought about how much she would worry about me. I thought about my husband, who never wanted me to take this job, because he worried about what it would mean for me and for us, and I thought about the job itself, because I love this job. I've loved every single day since I began. I love listening to passionate people, hearing their stories and trying to find ways to help. I love the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people I represent, and I still love this job, but, suddenly, I found myself asking, 'Will this change things for me?'

The day after I heard the news, the reality began to sink in. I felt unsettled, so I went for a walk to clear my head. As I walked alone through the streets, as I had done hundreds of times before, it hit me. I was walking alone. I found myself asking, 'Am I safe?' Of course, in that moment, I was safe, but something as ordinary as walking down the street had suddenly become something I questioned. I thought about the people I loved and what they might feel knowing I had questioned my own safety, and I thought about Helen.

Public service asked a lot of us. It asks for our time, our energy and our sacrifice from our families too. We put our hands up because we want to help, to listen, to represent our communities and make things better. We should be able to do this without changing the way we live or the way we serve. I do not want fear to define how I do this job. I do not want to stop listening, stop showing up or stop doing the work that matters so much to me. I had a moment when I felt the fear, but, like my colleagues across this parliament, I felt the fear and I did it anyway because that is what we do. I know that not one person across this parliament will stop doing their job because of that fear. We will keep showing up. We will keep listening to our communities. We will keep standing up for the issues we care about and fighting for the people who put their trust in us. We carry on because our communities matter. Their concerns matter and their voices deserve to be heard.

The member for Indi has given years of her life representing the people who place their trust in her. Today I want to recognise that service and the woman behind it. To Helen, her family, her staff, her volunteers and the people of Indi: people across this parliament and across Australia are thinking of you. We can honour Helen and reflect on how we treat one another, turn down the temperature, remember the person on the other side of the argument, and remember that behind every disagreement is a person with a family and people who love them and with a life beyond this place. The words we use matter. They matter to those who serve in this parliament, to the families who support them and to the communities who trust us to represent them. The strength of our democracy is not just measured by our willingness to speak; it is measured by our willingness to listen, to show compassion and to remember that every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. That is the responsibility we all share.

I thought Monday 19 October was like any other day, and, looking through the news cycle, I was shocked at the time to see that Dr Helen Haines had actually been struck by a car, and it sounded all very harmless at the time. Then a few hours later the full media reports had come out, and can I just say this wasn't like any normal attack. This was an absolutely barbaric attack on any person, as many have said, whether it be a butcher, plumber, nurse, anyone at all. This was an absolute shocking, barbaric attack where a four-wheel drive was driven over her, and witnesses say it occurred a number of times. It's actually cost Dr Haynes both her legs.

You've heard about what a wonderful member Helen is. We heard from the member for Watson, Tony Burke, that, when it comes to those MPs who would be in line for hate and everything else like that, Helen would definitely not be up there. I'm hearing from a lot of female members that the anger in the community against them always seems to be worse compared to other MPs, which is a shocking way for Australia to be at the moment. Can I just say that I've been here for 20 years, and the temperature, I'd say, has turned right up on social media.

Helen's been a great member for Indi. She has been a strong advocate for better healthcare, regional infrastructure, affordable energy and integrity in public life. I think that's one of the big things. She has done everything to be seen as doing the right thing. That's shocked other members of parliament and senators and people right across Australia. She also was right behind delivering the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and that's a huge achievement. Our thoughts and prayers go with her husband, Phil. He's made a very good point that when we talk in parliament or to the media the normal person hears our messages and may not take them much further. For a person living on the edge with a mental illness, it could be that little thing which makes them go off. That's something we all need to be very much aware of.

I also acknowledge her three children, Will, Nick and Georgia; Helen's staff, who I heard did an amazing job; all her friends; and the entire community in Wangaratta. Wang's a place that everyone drives past while going to Canberra. It's a lovely town to drop into. Nothing like this would have been expected. We heard of the great efforts of Ricky Jefferies when he confronted the attacker and disarmed him and those of Cody Lepoidevin, who also stepped in to help him restrain the offender. Jacklyn Black and Jacob Evans provided immediate assistance following the attack on Helen.

The attack on Helen is also an attack on Australian democracy, because everyone is equal in Australia. There are no two ways about that. The same time Helen was attacked, most likely—it will obviously come out—she was highlighting her name on her vehicle, because she's a good community MP. That ended up becoming a target, and that's something we need to think about as members of parliament, for example. As a former police officer, I don't put my branding on my car. I don't highlight events that I'm going. Even my own staff have been reluctant to go to certain events after we've had incidents.

I think question time today was the best question time I've seen in my time here. The tone was right. All of us have to do better, including myself. Sometimes, we go hard on social media, but we now have to think about who that message is going out to. Again, my thoughts and prayers are with Helen, and I'm very much looking forward to her coming back to Parliament House to be a stronger voice for Australia.

In what is probably a remarkable alignment of the stars or probably more akin to a comet that streaks through the night sky once every couple of 100 years, everything in this chamber that has been said about this wonderful woman is true. That in and of itself is a minor miracle—that we can all agree on our thoughts and our experiences with Helen Haines.

It's all true. She is a wonderful person. She's kind, she's generous, she's compassionate. She's courteous. She's someone who's a pleasure to work with. She's a great local MP who cares and loves her community and works hard for them. She's effective here as a parliamentarian, and she's also a friend to many of us, as we've heard. Having someone like Helen in this place makes coming to work better.

I was there with her in Wangaratta just a couple of months ago, touring one of the defence bases up there and also doing a community town hall with her. Even when we disagreed on a few things, she was still courteous. That's the measure of the woman. I think that epitomises much of the insights and the themes that we've been discussing in this place about our democracy. We can disagree with each other, but we do it in a way which might not in the end change the other person's mind but which navigates our differences without resorting to name calling or attacking the other because of their background or their attributes. Helen epitomises that ability to navigate through difference respectfully and with tolerance and compassion. That's something we can all learn from. We've been discussing that at length today in discussing her contribution to this place and her contribution to us, to make us better people.

The lesson that we can draw from this, which I hope goes beyond just today, is that the very democracy that we are all part of and we are custodians of—this institution in many respects—in the time that we have here is predicated on this idea of being able to navigate difference and work through it without attacking someone or their person because of the colour of their skin, their postcode, their sexuality or their gender. As many have said, using footy parlance, it's being able to play the ball not the person. It's about not attacking the person and not having to resort to violence as a means of trying to settle an argument.

That's a sad thing that we're facing today—that there is unfortunately a minority of people in our community who consider that political violence is a legitimate form of expression. That's something we all have to push back on. This democracy, this diverse community that we're all part of and this society in Australia that we're so proud of and that we talk up all the time—and we should, because I love this country, as many of the people in this chamber do—is dependent upon a commitment to an idea that, no matter where we come from and no matter what our background is, we can live together in relative harmony. It doesn't mean we're never going to disagree. We're human beings. We're going to disagree on a lot. But the idea of democracy is that we can navigate through those differences, find a consensus and find a way forward without violence. That is the essence of why we're here, how we are obligated and the high responsibility we have to represent our communities and defend these democratic institutions.

Helen Haines epitomises that in her work that she has done every day. The sad tragedy of this—although it shouldn't happen to anyone, this type of violence—is that she's such a special and wonderful person. At least we can take her example and make ourselves better through her example. We met with her wonderful husband, Phil, this morning. We're all hoping and praying for Helen to pull through and to be back here representing her community of Indi. I want to reach out, as we all have, to Phil, her tremendous husband, and her family, who are going through such a difficult period. But they're doing it with grace and with such patience and good humour, almost. It's quite remarkable. We wish them all the best in her recovery. I can't wait to see Helen back in this chamber.

My staff, the minute this occurred, gave me a picture of Helen and I, arm in arm. She's got my hat on and I've got a pair of sunglasses on. She is always smiling and laughing. It's a beautiful photograph and one that I will always keep. When she came in this place she didn't just want a job. If you just want a job, you go and get a party endorsement. She wanted to do something for her country. I'm not denigrating people with party affiliations, but an Independent is only coming in here because she wants something to happen. She wants it to be different. No Independent had ever got re-elected in this place until Ted Mack and Peter Andren came along. They were the first to ever get re-elected. Now we always seem to get re-elected. She not only was representative of that change but probably more than anyone else led that change. She could have gone for a party endorsement and probably would have got it, but she didn't want to go that way. She wanted to follow her mentor and represent the people of her electorate.

I hate to say it, but, as a published historian, change seems to have only ever come out of pain, suffering and persecution. There's no doubt that Christianity rose out of persecution. Many more died than were adherents to the Christianity cause in the year 500 AD. Once again, we're watching here a crusader and a fight against evil. The people that fought at the Battle of Lepanto—Helen is no different to those people. She did something new and different and, as it turns out, courageous and risked her life. Unfortunately and sadly, there's no doubt about that now, if you may have questioned it previously.

If you represent a party—and I represented a party for 30 of my 50-odd years in parliament—it's entirely different to representing the people in your electorate. Just everything about this incident—I've got to say that, personally, all that I experienced was an atavistic rage. I suppose I was lucky I wasn't there, because I know what I'd have done to the perpetrator of this. Bill Hayden used a word—it's a crude word—'pissant'. They're little pissants. They're just nobody, and they will always be nobody. This person would be a very good example. Mate, if you think it's going to make you somebody, you're dead wrong. You'll always be what you are.

We're commemorating today the great leader who will fight for good, who is prepared to take the risks and suffer the consequences. What she has suffered, I hope, will be an inspiration to every single person in this parliament to stand up for their people. If there are dangers out there, well, so be it. Fight for good. It's not ever an easy fight.

I want to add one other dimension to this. Helen does not come from a city. She was small-town person like me. You get very close. Everyone knows what everyone's doing in a small town. You have a special relationship when you represent a country electorate. City electorates are much more amorphous. I would like to put on record my own first thought when this occurred. I just had a rage that people were going to get out there and give exculpatory explanations for the behaviour of this little pissant nobody. If my rage is directed there—I would see her sitting behind me every time I left this chamber. I would say, 'Helen, can you look after things, please?' And she would laugh and say: 'It's all under control, Bob. It's all under control.' It's just fun people having a good time and fighting the good fight, I suppose. My memories will centre around that smiling person who said: 'Yes, that's right, Bob. We've got it all under control.' I believe profoundly that Helen will be back in this place, fighting the fight.

I say this to Helen: We need you, Helen. We need you. Come back to us. God bless you, Helen. I aspire to be a Christian. I'm not a Christian, but I aspire to be a Christian. If God intervenes in these things, she'll be right.

Australians are united in their horror at the attack on the member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines, and we're united in our love and support for her and the people who love her. All of us are thinking about the member for Indi; her husband, Phil; her children; her grandchildren; and her staff in Wangaratta as they confront the consequences of this terrible act and start out on the road to recovery. I think all members know that nurses make some of our best MPs. They're trained to speak truth to power to protect those in their care. They work like Trojans in a job that demands diligence and commitment, and they see the whole person in front of them, listening with empathy and compassion. The member for Indi embodies all of those characteristics, which has made the recent attack on her all the more shocking.

I last spoke with the member for Indi at the Sarah Carter lecture in Parliament House during the last sitting. The Sarah Carter lecture is an annual lecture that was established by Save the Children to honour the life of one of their long-term staff members, my dear friend Sarah Carter, who we lost in 2024. I was sitting with Sarah's mother, Gaynor, throughout this event. We miss Sarah so much. Helen gave a typically thoughtful and empathetic speech. She told a story about visiting a school in her electorate in northern Victoria, where a primary school child asked her: 'Why do we spend money on overseas aid? Doesn't charity begin at home?' Helen answered by drawing on what she had learnt travelling with Sarah to see Australian aid projects as part of the Australian Regional Leadership Initiative and spoke about how she believed that children all around the world deserve the same chance to learn and grow and contribute to their communities as all kids in Australia should. Helen told the room and Sarah's mum that Sarah's legacy lives on today, in that conversation with a child in a tiny 10-student classroom in northern Victoria. It's one of those grace notes that characterises the member for Indi, and it shows why Helen graciously asked Australians not to send flowers but instead to send donations to Save the Children, an appeal which has already resulted in more than $1.3 million in donations.

Our thoughts are focused on Helen today, but Helen and her husband, Phil, have asked us to reflect on the larger context in which this terrible incident has occurred. Australia has long been rightly proud of the egalitarian nature of our politics, and I was reminded of how precious this was a few years ago in Truganina, in my electorate in Melbourne's west. I was walking back to my car alone one evening after a typical school awards night, and from behind me someone came running up with a camera filming, with the man behind it asking me, 'Are you alone?' Confused, I told him that I was and asked him why he was filming and whether I could help him. Then, while he walked in a circle around me filming, he proudly declared: 'You see, I told you he is alone—no security, no staff at all. He's even driving himself home.' The man was facetiming with his family in his mother country, who could not believe that I, as a member of parliament, had spent a night at an event like any other member of the community. It made me so happy to be able to tell this man's family that he was right and that he and his children now lived in a country where our democracy is part of the community, not separated by security teams.

We do know that it's under threat, though, and the number of threats against MPs is up fourfold since 2020. We must refuse the idea that political violence is inevitable. It is not. We all have agency over the kind of society and country we live in and an obligation to cultivate a better politics for today and for future generations. That's why there's more that we can do to turn the temperature down. To this end, I commend the work of the UK charity More in Common, the NGO formed after the murder of UK parliamentarian Jo Cox. More in Common's report Dousing the flames draws on empirical research to offer practical insights to political leaders on how they can go about turning down the temperature. They include, one, assuming complexity and rejecting shorthand culture-war framings of issues. Humans are complex and don't just divide into two opposed camps. Two, make space to question. People who feel shamed for having honest questions can be pushed towards robust opposition. Respectful conversation persuades more people than confrontation. Three, don't amplify the extremes. Hold bigotry to account but avoid elevating small extreme groups. Showcase the tolerant majority. Four, use concrete language. Leaders should use plain, accessible terms rather than insider jargon to build big tents on the controversial issues. Five, prioritise action over symbolism. Match gestures with tangible change rather than fights over words. Six, use inclusive processes. Use lessons from conflict resolution methods to auspice controversial issues and platform accountability. Seven, force tech companies to do more than window dressing on how their platforms drive polarisation and elevate hate and abuse.

Taken together, these principles can help to foster a political debate in Australia that reminds all of us here that we are working on the same challenges and that we have more in common as Australians than the things that we differ on. I look forward to being able to work together on these common challenges with Helen and making this a reality when she returns to parliament.

I rise to make a contribution to share my community's care, concern and support for the member for Indi, Helen Haines. So many of my electorate reached out and were shocked, as we all were right across the nation, at the events that played out. If there is, however, one small mercy out of this, it's that Helen gets to hear people say some very nice and very true things about her and about her contribution. I think that's actually kind of nice because it's not what we usually do here in this place. It's very rare that we take the time to look across the aisle and say the things that we admire or are strengths of our opponents. In a little bit of a tribute to the member for Indi, it's important we do that and I'm going to start off by saying that the member for Gellibrand just gave a good speech. He was the first person to put a beer in my hand after my maiden speech; it was a nice show of support, and we've been able to have a good conversation ever since.

We've been talking a lot about standards and how we debate in this place. I was recently named in this place. The first person to come and check on me was the member for Hunter; he just popped in to say g'day, see how I was doing and make sure things were okay. These are the sorts of relationships that exist, and we don't take the time in this place to let the rest of Australia know that that's how we deal—that that's how we get on with things. Deputy Speaker Scrymgour, you and I were on opposite sides of the Voice debate that both of us felt very passionately about. We've since been able to come together on issues of domestic violence and ways that we can work together and make Australia a better place, because a disagreement wasn't the end; we continued to work together. That plays out right across the parliament, and I think that's something that, potentially, in the national conversation, we've lost; we've lost the ability to disagree, and to disagree in a way that allows us to continue to talk, to be friends and to see the positive side of each other's contribution.

I disagree frequently with the member for Indi on a number of issues—and it's a pleasure to do so, because she always has a smile, engages in the conversation and doesn't play the person. That is a good example of how to disagree with a level of grace. On what we do agree on, we both enjoy books—we're both reading Dusk by Robbie Arnott—and we both have strong views on relative funding for regional communities. These are things that we agree on. This is something that this moment in time should present to us as politicians—to think about how we talk to each other and the messages that we send in terms of our relationships across both sides of the aisle.

There is another debate that I think is very important; it's about the type of Australia we want to form. Right here, in this little space here, so much of Australia's future gets mapped out. That's something we all carry very heavily and we think of as very important; I know the member for Indi always does. I don't think we want to go down the pathway of Americanisation of our politics. I think we want to be a place where we pride ourselves on being able to have a strong, robust debate and to let that play out, to proudly fight for things that we believe in and that we think are the right answers, but, at the end, still be able to go and shake hands and be able to talk and to know that we're going to have to continue working together. In opposition, I see the value of the need to be able to reach out to government members at times when my community needs support, to reach out to the government and ask for their support. I am absolutely certain that the member for Indi, as an Independent on the crossbench, is very aware of the value of those relationships, being able to represent your community and getting the best possible solution from the government of the day.

These are the broad conversations that this tragic and terrible event has brought up. But, if we're talking about them, maybe this is a small silver lining on an otherwise very dark cloud. It's rare that you get the opportunity to speak well of people in this place who aren't on your side of politics. I'm glad we've all taken the opportunity to do it. In praising the member for Indi and the way that she conducts herself, I think we all see the higher angels in ourselves that we'd like to aspire to. If we focus on that, there can be some good that we bring out of this terrible situation.

I thank the Prime Minister for his motion, which provides us all in this place an opportunity to extend our love and our support to our friend the member for Indi, Helen Haines, and her family, her staff, the Indi community, the volunteers and the extraordinary men and women who came to her aid in her time of need. Together, we are all working to comprehend the cruel and brutal attack on a person who has only ever represented her electorate with justice and compassion.

Already there has been much commentary and reflection: that it's a continuation of the pattern of increasing violence of men towards women, that it's a case for more mental health funding, that it's online algorithms driving hate and intolerance, that the rising temperature that we are all called to turn down started right here in this place, that this senseless attack is an attack on democracy. Without yet knowing the actual motive, all these things can be true, and they can all be true at once. I will speak today largely to the last point. Here, we are all co-creators of this parliamentary workplace and of the environment within which the political decisions of the nation are made.

When I gave my first speech in this place I spoke about the standards Australians expect of us. I said then that integrity and respect in our national institutions are vital and that leadership requires high standards maintained not only through legislation but through our own behaviour. Four years later, I believe that more strongly than ever. Democracy is robust, but it is not indestructible. Around the world we have watched democratic politics become more polarised, more personal and too often more dangerous. Declining trust, extremism, external interference and misinformation are among the challenges confronting our democratic institutions, and Australia is not immune. Politically motivated violence is not something that happens only somewhere else. Nor does it happen in a vacuum. It occurs in an environment that supports it. This applies to intentional acts of terrorism, it applies to isolated acts based on hate and ignorance, and it applies to violent acts by people who are not of sound mind.

Violent acts within the political sphere can erode trust, deepen polarisation and ultimately discourage people from participating in a democracy at all. That should concern every one of us, irrespective of our party politics, because democracy depends on disagreement. It depends on people being able to argue passionately, protest peacefully, scrutinise governments, criticise politicians and campaign for change. But disagreement can never become dehumanisation. Political passion can never excuse intimidation. And violence can never become another form of political expression.

There is another dimension, too, that we cannot ignore. With one in three women having experienced physical violence from the age of 15, we well understand that in public life political abuse carries a particularly ugly edge. Female parliamentarians have spoken publicly in recent days, particularly today, about online abuse, rape threats, death threats and threats extended to family. We should never accept such behaviour as simply the price women pay for participating in public life. If intimidation causes a woman to think twice about nominating for parliament, speaking publicly, staffing an electorate office or putting her name on a ballot paper then it is more than an attack upon an individual. Our democracy itself becomes smaller.

Security matters, but security alone cannot solve this. Those of us entrusted with public office also carry a responsibility for the culture we create. We can disagree without contempt. We can prosecute our beliefs fiercely without treating those on the other side as enemies. We can choose not to amplify hatred simply because anger attracts attention. We know we can do this. Every member here has had the experience that I've had working together on committees and in interparliamentary groups where we most often put our differences aside and work productively together.

In my first speech I imagined an Australia 20 years into the future, confident and secure, with fewer reasons for Australians to be cynical about their politicians. That future is still ours to build. So let us defend the right to disagree. Let us defend the right to participate. Above all, let us ensure that nobody in Australia needs extraordinary courage simply to take part in our democracy. And when the member for Indi returns to her rightful seat in this place, may her first remarks reflect that her defiant optimism was with good cause and result.

This is a tough day for us all, and we all rise with a heavy heart. The member for Indi, Helen Haines, is someone I have got to know well over the last 4½ years. My northern border in the seat of Casey matches with her southern border, and we've got some communities of common interest. I also had the opportunity to travel with Helen and get to know her and meet Phil. And at this time not just myself but all of the community in Casey send their heartfelt well wishes to Helen, to Phil, to the family, to her staff and to the wider Indi community. It is a time for us all to stop and reflect on Helen and her contribution, and the contribution she will continue to make here in parliament and to the communities of Indi, while also recognising that she does have a long road to recovery. We are sending our best wishes and support to her, Phil and the family.

While this is a horrible, terrible incident that shook us all last week, there's obviously a lot more to come out in regard to the incident. I don't want to address that incident today. I'll leave that for another time when more is known. What I want to focus on in this moment of darkness is the light. It's the light of the Australian people and the greatness of those heroic Australians who didn't hesitate to help Helen. It's someone like Ricky Jefferies, a father and a husband, who didn't hesitate to run to help Helen in that moment. He could have made the decision to stay in his shop and look after himself, given those loved ones he had at home, but he chose to leave the safety of his shop to support Helen. It's people like Cody, Xavier, Jacklyn and Jacob, who, again, ran to help Helen, not knowing what they were going to run into, because they knew it was the right thing to do.

We have a choice as a parliament and as a nation. We can focus on the evil that has occurred or focus on the goodness. We must address what has occurred. We cannot shy away from that conversation. But, right now, I choose to focus on the goodness and on those heroic Australians and those emergency services members—every time the call comes in that there is danger or there is an Australian in trouble, they go. They go to keep people safe. I thank those emergency services workers, who, I have no doubt, will still be struggling today with what they saw and what they witnessed last week. Unfortunately, the reality of Australia in 2026, and in all of history, is that what those emergency services workers witnessed and participated in last week is what they do every day in keeping us safe. I pay tribute to all emergency services workers—ambulance, CFA, fire brigade, police in Victoria and across the country—who keep us all safe.

I saw that goodness firsthand in the last week. Because I refuse to let those who seek to intimidate us all intimidate us, I was out in my community, meeting people, following my normal routine and making sure I was aware of my situation. What was so great to see was the number of members of the public who stopped me to check in, make sure I was okay, thank me for my service—as I know has happened all across the community—and give their best wishes to Helen, her family and her community. We should remember that there are so many good Australians who do respect what we do and do respect the service of people like Helen Haines. We should not let this lead to a situation where we are cowed.

The member for Gellibrand shared a great story about that resident FaceTiming him. I remember the first time I came to Canberra. I caught an Uber from the airport. The driver asked me what I did, and I told him I was an MP. He was genuinely shocked that a federal member of parliament was in his Uber. He said something like, 'In the country that I came from, any member of parliament has a full security guard.' The member for Gellibrand summed that up well. That is not where we want to get to as a country. That is not the Australia that we have grown up in, and it is not in any way good for our democracy if we get to that situation. While we must have robust debate and we must hold the government to account—because a strong opposition holding a government to account develops good policy—we can do it in a way where we focus on the policy, not on the person.

There are many conversations we need to continue to have to make sure that our democracy can continue from strength to strength, but I finish by saying to Helen, Phil and her team: we love you, we appreciate you and we are with you on this long journey back to recovery.

In 2020, the year after she joined parliament, Helen Haines, Dave Sharma and I founded Parliamentary Friends of Cycling. It was fitting to found a friendship group with Helen, somebody who seems to have managed to become friends with another 149 people in this room. I think, like everyone else, I felt I had a special relationship with Helen, but it turns out that all of us had a special relationship with Helen. Stephen Hodge, who helped found the group, described her as warm, intelligent and a highly engaged supporter.

I really enjoyed chatting with Helen about her electorate. My parents had a share and a farm in Yackandandah, known as the biggest little town in north-east Victoria, and Helen shared my admiration for the way in which the town has remade itself as an environmental solar town. She was somebody who was passionate about bringing the issues of her community to the parliament, and I know she engaged extensively with the former coalition government, as she had with our government. She was someone who was always quick to think of others. I messaged her to wish her a happy 65th birthday last month, and she was quick to say that the very best presents were the grandchildren that she was looking forward to meeting.

Helen really epitomises the notion that you can get an awful lot done in politics if you don't care who gets the credit. Phil Haines spoke to us this morning, and he was as warm and expansive as Helen in talking about what she wanted in terms of shaping a kinder and gentler politics. Helen's urged people to donate to Save the Children and sign the civility pledge. I've done both, and I'd encourage others to do the same. She is somebody who is always thinking about others, and I'm, at the moment, thinking of her and the people around her. To Karen Rourke, her chief of staff, thank you for the work that you've done in looking after the team and that you will continue to do in the coming days. Helen's children, Will, Nick and Georgia—I was thinking back to Helen's first speech, where she said to her children:

… you are bold, you are brave, you are loved. Use your talents wisely.

I know that they will be drawing on those wise words of their mum through these extraordinary, challenging times.

I want to finish by saying a little bit about the environments in which this heinous attack took place. We're seeing a rise in anger around the world. An analysis of US congressional speeches found that anger is the highest it's been in 150 years. Last year, verbal and physical attacks on German parliamentarians and candidates for office rose 40 per cent. In a decade, Britain has seen two members of parliament murdered. While some will argue that this might be due to climate or inflation or inequality, I think, if you're trying to explain a big global shift of this scale, you need a big global change. For me, that's the way in which we've gotten our information.

The No. 1 source of information for most people is now social media, and social media uniquely privileges the angry. It is an environment in which posts that go viral tend to be less considered and inquisitive, more outrageous and more divisive. It's an environment where sometimes we can be encouraged to think in zero-sum terms—'the gains for women must come at the expense of men' or 'the gains to the environment must come at the expense of business'—but what we need to remember is that so much of what Australia has created is a positive-sum enterprise. Whether it's creating a beautiful building, organising a festival or playing a sporting match, the best of what we do is what we do together, and the best of our democracy recognises that zero-sum thinking takes us to a poorer, narrower future and that positive-sum thinking is the route to abundance and engagement.

Kindness isn't just a better way of doing politics; it's also a better way of getting the outcomes we care about, so we need to work together to build a kinder, more loving world, to resist the easy temptations of outrage and revenge and to find better ways to care for one another.

It is with a heavy heart I stand here to talk about the incredible member for Indi, Helen Haines, with her beautiful face, her kind smile, her generous heart and her outstanding intellect—someone who is so special, is so near and dear to all of us. Indeed, many people are respected across the aisles, but not everybody is respected and loved, and Helen Haines is. I, along with my wife, Catherine, pass on our best wishes to her husband of 40 years, Phil, who spoke to us this morning. In her inaugural speech on 1 August 2019, Helen had this to say about Phil:

And to that ag scientist from Rutherglen, Phil Haines, my husband of 33 years—

at the time—

who has always believed I could do things I never thought I could: no-one could ask for a more loving soulmate.

And indeed they have been a beautiful pair, and they will continue to be a beautiful pair. They've produced three amazing children, remarkable young people: Nick, Will and Georgia. Phil and Helen are grandparents as well, and that's what she most cherishes in life—her beautiful grandchildren. And getting on and representing her community as she does it—what incredible presence she had when the incident occurred and her first thoughts were with the first responders, the people who came to her rescue. When she regained consciousness late last week, again she was thinking of her staff and of her community and of her family. Who has that presence of mind? Helen Haines does—quite remarkable.

She gave a tremendous speech during the last sitting week. It was her last public address during that parliamentary sitting week—an eloquent thankyou to the keynote speaker at the third annual Sarah Carter Memorial Oration. Delivering the 2026 oration was Luciano Moreira, who for more than two decades has played a significant role in the development and large-scale deployment of the World Mosquito Program's Wolbachia method of breeding mosquitoes to prevent deadly diseases such as dengue fever and others. It was up to Helen as one of the Save the Children parliamentarians who'd been on one of those trips with Mat Tinkler and Sarah Carter and others to deliver the gratitude and the thanks, and she did so in her own inimitable style. But more than that, when this horrendous injury happened to her, she and the family wanted any donations to go to Save the Children Australia, and Mat Tinkler just told me $1.32 million—what a remarkable amount!—has been donated by generous Australians. That is truly remarkable.

I want to thank those many people—in particular, Maree Bernoth from Wagga Wagga, Helen Ducker from Trungley Hall and Bianca Harman from Junee—who've sent emails and messages of love and support. Helen is going to need all of those in the weeks and months and, dare I say, years to come. Gail Meyer from Wagga Wagga had this to say:

We all deserve to be safe in our workplace. I think that the broader implications for what this also means in our democratic country is both very sad and very concerning.

Of course, she is right, and so is every parliamentarian who has stood today to send out their love but also to send out a message of hope but warning as well, because we are living in a divisive country and a volatile world.

We need to be more like Helen Haines. We all need to be more like that incredible member for Indi who only has ever wanted the best for her community so that she can pass onto her grandchildren and others to follow a better world in which to live. Her advocacy for regional Australia has been second to none. I just wish her all the very best as she confronts these difficult days and weeks and months and years ahead. It won't be easy, but she has the support of the whole nation, and she certainly has the support of her incredible family. To Phil: we wish you and Helen all the very best. I seek leave of the parliament to put in the third annual Sarah Carter Memorial Oration thank-you speech that Helen Haines so eloquently gave during the last parliamentary sitting week. If I could table that, it would be greatly appreciated.

Leave granted.

Life is just a series of negotiations—not my words. They are words spoken to me by someone who once negotiated his life choices through a prism of hate. So much has been said of the member for Indi, Helen Haines, today and over the past week, and every single bit is true. People have spoken about her nature, her fierce love for her community, her tireless advocacy, her integrity, her kindness and her compassion. Helen chooses kindness and love. She understands that kindness is a choice and so is hate. Like Helen, I believe that humans have an infinite capacity to choose kindness and compassion, as Helen demonstrates. They also have a capacity to choose hate and violence, as we have seen. While love and kindness are unlimited in their capacity to inspire hope, to improve lives and to lift communities, hate and malice do not.

In 2023, speaking about social cohesion and the tone of political debate, Helen reminded this House. She said:

What we say in this place matters. Words matter.

As I reflected on those words and as I was grappling with what I wanted to say today, I reminded myself of my own words, some 10 years ago, in my first speech, where I said:

We may live in an era of unease and of extremes. I do not know how we found ourselves in a time when asking for a little more compassion, a little more reason, a little more empathy … attracts accusations and hate mail …

It's difficult to fathom that, 10 years later, those words still ring true, as do Helen's. Words matter. She's right. The way we speak to one another matters. The example that we set matters, and the words we use in this chamber do not just stay within these walls. They travel into our communities, into conversations and into the way that Australians treat one another as well. We can't ask Australians to show respect to each other if we're not prepared to demonstrate that ourselves. Disagreement is part of democracy. Disrespect is not. This morning, Helen's husband Phil charged us to be more cognisant of this very fact. Challenging ideas and policy is central to our Australian democracy, but doing so with decency, care and compassion must be the choice that we make when we communicate and when we engage with each other.

Phil described this past week as a moment, and indeed it is a moment. It's a moment to give us all pause for thought about how we participate in political debate. Here's the thing about moments. They often end up written into the margins of the history pages. They are temporal and momentary. I believe in momentum, because nothing will change unless we change, unless all of us—people in this place, the media, the public—recognise that words matter, that expressing disagreement through personal attacks and language that in itself is violent or that incites violence has consequences, that harvesting anger for political points or clickbait has consequences and that we have a choice to choose kindness, to choose civility or simply to choose not to use language, post comments on social media or attack our political opponents in ways that have the potential to cause real harm—to choose to be like Helen.

In a place where our differences can so often define us, Helen reminds us of what we have in common—our humanity, our compassion, our responsibility to one another and our ability to choose. She's shown us that kindness and conviction can go hand in hand, that we can be passionate in our beliefs and generous towards those who see the world differently.

Today, Helen, you've given so much of yourself to your community and this parliament, and today that same care and that compassion are being returned to you. Our thoughts and love are with you and Phil and your entire family and staff. As you face the journey ahead, Helen, know that your colleagues, your community and so many Australians are right there beside you.

I rise today to offer my heartfelt prayers and well wishes to Helen Haines, her family, her friends, her staff and her wider Indi community following the tragic incident outside her electorate office last week. On behalf of the constituents of O'Connor, I express my deep concern for Helen and my incredulity that such a horror could occur in the streets of a regional community not dissimilar to those of my electorate. Helen, please know you have been in the thoughts and prayers of the many people I've spoken to in the past week. I know our collective hope is that you will gain strength from these well wishes from strangers across the nation.

We are all deeply saddened to think any close-knit regional community could experience such an atrocity, but we're also heartened to see the heroism of everyday Australians, those who rush towards danger rather than turn away—the barber, the local shopkeepers, Helen's own electorate officers, all faced with a horrific sight but offering whatever assistance they could. Thank you to those incredible local emergency service officers, who called on every vestige of their expertise and professionalism to work on someone they actually know. This is typical of regional Australia, where almost every person is only one degree of separation from the other, and our dedicated local first responders and volunteers face this potential added trauma every time they don their uniform. Deputy Speaker Boyce, through you, I say this: Helen, you were struck down doing what you love in a community that clearly cares about and respects you, as does every member in this place. You are a terrific person and a dedicated representative of your community. You deserve so much better than this.

For members and senators, what happened to Helen is not what any of us signed up for, and it most certainly should not define the direction our working lives take from here on in. Our job requires us to be out in our electorates, engaging with our constituents, listening to grievances and responding to the best of our ability. But, regardless of how passionate or aggrieved anyone could be, there is never a circumstance that justifies violence, let alone the horrific act Helen has been subjected to. I, for one, will not resile from the public-facing part of this job. It's a part that I love and a part of the job I know Helen loves.

Time will reveal the full story behind this apparently senseless attack, but no-one should have to endure what Helen is experiencing at this time. I hope Helen can gain strength from the love of her family, her friends, her staff and the wider Australian community. I know the expertise of her surgical, medical and rehabilitation teams will support her through the difficult weeks and months ahead, and I hope she can feel the compassion and love translated across the miles from regional communities like mine. Helen, you are in the thoughts and prayers of all of us.

The member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines, is the kind of person to whom our parliament and our democratic culture aspire, not because of her particular views or political philosophy but because of the approach she's taken to the work of a representative. That's not to put Helen on a pedestal in the aftermath of the terrible attack that occurred a week ago. I'm sure that's not what she would want, and, indeed, Helen would be the first to acknowledge those qualities in many others across the parliament. But, as so many of the contributions today have rightly noted, the member for Indi does exemplify those qualities to an extraordinary degree. She made her commitment to those qualities plain in her first speech. She said:

… life is short, family is everything and there is honour in the service of others.

She described herself as a regional Australian and a defiant optimist. She said she came to this place 'to talk positively about what we hope to start in regional Australia and not simply what we want to stop'. And she quoted a fellow nurse in Florence Nightingale, who said, 'How very little can be done under the spirit of fear.'

The member for Indi has been utterly consistent as a representative who emphasises public service, who leans into optimism and positivity, who believes in practical and constructive solutions and who knows that the politics of fear is a kind of democratic poison. The attack on the member for Indi calls on all of us to reflect on what can be done, personally and collectively, to reject a cultural swerve towards polarisation, extremity and hatefulness through the politics of distortion and outrage. It calls on us to acknowledge the miasma of online tech platform communication that has seeped in and settled over society, with its absence of personal or systemic responsibility, its absence of natural or regulated civic decency and its driving AClockwork Orange logic of anger and hostility and provocation. I'm grateful to have heard from people in my community that recognise the need to turn the volume down, take the caps lock off and give the shouted accusations a rest.

There's no arguing against the fact that we face grave and difficult challenges that are real and that must be addressed. Of course, in the face of those challenges, our politics needs to be committed and rigorous, and it can't be expected to always be neat or quiet or unprovocative. But our politics does not need to be wilfully extreme and personally judgemental and threatening. There's no justification or excuse for that, whether it's conduct or speech, whether it's from representatives or commentators or citizens. And our politics shouldn't veer all the time towards accusations of complicity in the apocalypse, with a vocabulary that instantly and lazily descends to words like 'criminal' and 'corruption', where reasonable and moderate argument has been replaced by categorical and righteous moral judgement and where the accusations are inevitably shaped through dangerous metaphors of violence. Yet that is so much of what passes for politics these days, especially in the social or digital space. All of us have an opportunity—and, I'd say, an obligation—to see what's been occurring and to shift back in the direction of reasonableness and respect towards compassion for one another and tolerance of different views.

While I expect that some of our words spoken in this important debate at a time of profound national shock are nevertheless far away from what concerns Helen in the days immediately ahead, still I wanted to say something to the member for Indi. Dear Helen, the message in your first speech to your kids is the message we send to you. You are bold. You are brave. You are loved. The open-hearted strength of your family in the midst of their bewildering experience of shock and pain has been astonishing, a thing of beauty, an incredibly gracious gift to all of us at this time. Your community and your country holds you in its heart. Your colleagues in this place have thought about you and spoken about you without pause, reflecting on the example you set through your kindness, your earnest hard work, your decency and humour and your devotion to public service. In the week before last you raised with me the critical issue of protecting productive agricultural land even as we bring the enormous benefits of renewable energy and climate adaptation to rural and regional communities. This year it has again been a privilege to share with you the vital work in the cause of peace as co-conveners of the Parliamentary Friends of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Finally, I want you to know, Helen, that I've heard from many, many people in my Western Australian community who send their love and their best wishes to you and to your staff and to your family. Take care, my friend. Be well. See you here soon again.

I want to begin by associating myself with the remarks on both sides of this place that have taken place over the course of the entire day. In rising to make a contribution on behalf of the people of Barker, I extend their collective thoughts and prayers to Helen's beloved husband of nearly 40 years, Phil, to her three children and to her two grandchildren.

I first had occasion to meet Helen as she entered this place in 2019. It wasn't long before many of my colleagues were remarking privately what a thoroughly decent human Helen was. We've been hearing echoes of that all day in this place. The reality is that, as the Leader of the House made plain in his contribution, this isn't a place that lends itself to universal acclaim, but I can't imagine that anyone in this place, even before this tragic incident, could bring themselves to think of even one occasion where they could speak ill of Helen. Helen and I have very little in common, except that we both represent regional electorates. On that, Helen and I bonded. There are about 30 of us in this place—you're amongst them, Mr Deputy Speaker Boyce—who represent generally rural and regional communities. In a bearpit of 150, that means that we need really strong voices, and some of us can be a bit shouty. I'll put my hand up for that. Others can go about their work quietly and diligently, and that was Helen.

There is one thing we need to do as a result of this incident, and there is one thing we mustn't do. I'll address the thing we mustn't do, and that is change. If, as a result of this incident—the motivations of which we will learn in the fullness of time following proper and appropriate investigations—we change the way we behave, then democracy loses out of this experience. Helen and Phil and their family have all of my sympathies and all of my prayers. I hope that Helen returns to this place and I look forward to the Speaker giving her the call, which I'm sure he will do. But the reality is we can't let evil triumph. So, like others in this place, I spent the weekend being very visual and very present.

That is the one thing we can't do, but there is one thing we must do. If you come from rural, regional or remote Australia, there's one thing that is clearly obvious to anyone who spends time in the community, and that is that there is a need for us to pause and reflect on the need for mental health services in rural, regional and remote communities. We see it every day. People come to our offices who are in desperate need of help. That help is not the kind of help that a local MP can provide. It's the kind of help that a trained medical professional like Helen and others can provide. We need to ensure that we appropriately fund drug and alcohol counselling in our regions as well. No-one, and I mean no-one, in their right mind would have acted in the way that this individual did relative to Helen, and we need to make sure that we don't change the way we act and that our democracy remains robust but that we acknowledge there are people in our community who need that help. Listening to Phil this morning as he addressed members and senators, I got a sense that Helen, even in her darkest hour, knows that. She knows that we need to wrap our arms around our fellow Australians living in rural and regional communities in need of that mental health support.

Helen, go well. I look forward to you returning to this place. You go with the thoughts and prayers of everyone in Barker.

I want to start by sending my love to Helen, to Phil, to their kids and to Helen's whole team. And I hope, Helen, that you get the chance to see or to read all the speeches that we're making here today, because, if you do, you'll see in them just how much we all love you, how much we all admire you—all of us—and how much we all wish we were half as good and decent and kind as you are.

Everything that everyone's already said here today about Helen is true. She's all that and more. That's I guess what makes this so hard to understand. I think, if we're honest with ourselves, most of us have worried at some time that something like this could happen, that one of us was going to get hurt. I admit I have. But I don't think any of us ever thought something like this could ever happen to someone like Helen. Why would anybody want to hurt her? We don't know why—not yet. But just the fact that this could happen means we've got to ask ourselves some hard questions about how we do our job, about the sort of country we are today and the sort of country we want to be. We're not like America or even the UK. We haven't had anything like the political violence they have had. But that doesn't mean that it's never happened.

I told the story last week, for the first time in a long time, about the night John Newman was gunned down. John was a state Labor MP in New South Wales. I worked for him. I was with him the night he died. I said goodbye to him in the car park of a local club. We got in our cars and drove home. When I got home I started work on a uni assignment. When John got home he was shot dead in his driveway. I live that night a lot. I remember hearing on the TV that a politician had been shot, and then the news that it was John. I remember rushing to his house. I remember that the street was all shut off. I remember the police everywhere—the ambulance. I remember the screams—one scream. I didn't sleep that night. That was more than 30 years ago. I'm still haunted by it, and I think I always will be.

Now, what happened to John is different from what happened to Helen. I get that. But I'm telling the story again because I just want us to remind ourselves that we're not immune. We haven't been for a long time. The truth is, it's got worse since COVID, it's got worse since 7 October, and it's made worse by the internet—by algorithms that feed our fears, that force-feed us the same thing and can keep us trapped in the one place, where they fester and make people angry and make people hate each other, hate themselves, and maybe even turn sick people into monsters.

In my own local community this year, my local mayor had her family car firebombed outside her house in the middle of the night. Almost every day someone here gets a threat of violence sent to them. And for every threat that blokes like me get, female politicians get 20 or 30 more. And it's not just us. As everyone has said here today, it's teachers, it's nurses, it's retail workers, it's people who work in hospo. And there are no easy answers to any of this. Changing it is hard, but we've got to try to change the sort of people we are, and not just us as politicians but us as Aussies—in here, out there, online, everywhere. Phil said this morning that we've got to break the fever that's infecting our democracy. He's right.

This year has been bookended by speeches we've made in this place about two unfathomable acts of violence: first Bondi, and now this. As I end my remarks here tonight I thought I should share with you what Helen said right here in January. This is Helen:

Here in this hallowed parliament of Australia may we as leaders in our communities, as national leaders demonstrate that we can be a beacon of light. That we model the social cohesion we seek of our citizens. Not that we shy from the difficult and passionate debates, not that we wave through law without earnest endeavour but that we engage with graceful intent to do everything we can to respond courageously, powerfully and decisively to terror.

May light guide us all towards a stronger community, one that is more compassionate, curious of difference, courageous and kind.

That's Helen. Don't we desperately need more of that? Don't we desperately need her back here? Come back, Helen. We need you.

We have heard today an outpouring of respect for Dr Helen Haines, the member for Indi, who in the course of serving her electorate has been severely injured. I add my thoughts and prayers and those of the entire Parkes electorate to those of those who have already spoken in this chamber today and have grieved for Helen and her family for the week that has passed. I sincerely wish her a speedy recovery and was heartened by her husband Phil's words that she is strong of heart and of mind. Staying strong in heart and mind is a condition we should all aspire to here in this place, where we represent nearly 28 million people who put their faith in us every single day.

Through our democratic system, we have the privilege of gathering here to debate legislation that will hopefully make our country an even better place to live and to address the challenges that come with changing times. One of those challenges is the feeding of the discontent and the festering of grievances that we see across social media. Never before has it been so easy to broadcast those moments of hurt and spite, to find others that make it stronger, to grow it into something unfounded and dangerous. Today, people face hatred from others that they have never met. People within these walls face threats from people who have never had a conversation with them, never shared a meal with them and will never know the personal hurdles they face each and every day. This incident has brought into the public eye the fear that a person going about their day and carrying out their work can be a target, not just the people in this building but the people everywhere walking in to do their jobs as a nurse or a builder or a teacher or one of the thousands of tasks carried out by each and every Australian every day.

Within this House of Representatives, there are 150 members of parliament. In the Senate, there are 76. That is a small number of people facing scrutiny from a very large number of people. That has always been the case, yet it has always been crucial for us to be part of our communities that have elected us. If we are to represent our communities, we need to know exactly what matters to them. We need to share their events, their difficulties and their successes. We need to be a strong part of our community at every available opportunity. I would hope we are still living in the kind of country where we can continue to do this.

What happened to Dr Helen Haines outside her own electorate office is absolutely horrific. It is not an everyday happening, and we must ensure it never becomes just another headline in the newspapers. Australians need to work together to remain a country where we are, as one, outraged by happenings such as this one. We need to measure our words and our actions and act in kindness so that we are not part of the problem and we're not feeding the beast that will one day bite us all. Words do hurt. Words on social media have shown us this, time and again—eating away at self-esteem, vilifying those who are different, building bonfires on which to burn good people. But the good part of this equation is that words can also heal. Words are part of what we can use to support each other, to show kindness. Words are what are used to show respect and care for Helen Haines right now. We are shown the way by none other than Helen Haines herself, who, after the horrific attack, did not utter words of anger or self-pity. She said to the helpers, 'Thank you, you lovely people.' We have a chance here to consider how we choose to continue. Let's continue with kindness.

Three years ago I travelled to Wangaratta to join Helen Haines for a meeting with her arts community to discuss our National Cultural Policy that had just been launched earlier in that year. Like me, Helen has a passion for the arts and recognises how fundamental it is to the health and wellbeing of her community. She celebrates those who have the gift and desire for creative pursuits, and she wanted me to hear directly from them. I was very happy to do so. During that visit, I saw how connected Helen was with her community, respected by all and loved by so many. I can imagine the pain her community will be feeling in the aftermath of the shocking attack on her and the questions they will want answered about why and how it happened. My community shares their distress. As I was travelling around the Blue Mountains, the Hawkesbury and Emu Plains at the weekend, my constituents shared their dismay at the horrific attack, and their thoughts were squarely with Helen, Phil and their family.

While excerpts of question time capture the media's attention and land in people's living rooms and on their social media feeds, one of the unseen parts of this place is how we engage across the aisle with MPs from other parties. Helen and I found many common areas of interest early on in her time here, as others have expressed a similar experience. Our husbands are lucky enough to have the flexibility of age to be present in Canberra more often than some others, so they can spend time with other partners.

While time for socialising is limited in sitting weeks, as we all know, I think we all enjoy the occasional moments of being in the same place at the same time, even if it's just for a quick check-in chat. We don't usually make speeches about this sort of thing in this place, but perhaps we should so people know how we really operate. It demonstrates our ability to discuss and disagree, to have things we don't agree on but other things that we do. Today is an opportunity to acknowledge the relationships that evolve across party lines and across this chamber. It's also a day to send our very deepest wishes to Helen, Phil, the kids and grandkids and Helen's team, both paid and unpaid, for the very best recovery possible. Helen, your empty seat weighs heavily on all of us in this parliament.

How does the parliament respond to such a horrific attack? How does the wider community react? It's telling that the heightened security warnings that we've been receiving over some time mean that, while we may not be surprised that there's been a horrific attack, there is absolute shock. In the decade I've been here, my team and I have seen an increase in the expression of aggression and have seen aggression more often spill over into threats of violence. As many have said in parliament today, there should be no green light for violence in any part of our society. In fact, this Westminster system is designed to reduce physical violence by creating a space where rigorous and robust debate can take place. I acknowledge the role that the Speaker has played in ensuring the ground rules for debate in this chamber are adhered to. It's time for us all, every Australian, to check ourselves so that we have strong and robust debate without being nasty, mean or cruel to others, without demeaning people and without inciting violence. Whether it's teachers or nurses, shop assistants or flight attendants, professional referees or youngsters refereeing at the weekend, no-one should be abused for doing their job and no-one should experience violence.

I love engaging with my community. I enjoy the disagreements as well as the agreements. I love working through complex issues, hearing new insights or arguing using facts and logic. Those discussions often don't end in agreement. I've frequently said to people who live in the Blue Mountains, the Hawkesbury and Emu Plains that I don't expect us to agree on everything. In fact, it would be strange if we did. I comment that I've been married for nearly 40 years, and I still can't get my husband to agree with me on everything, and that's okay. Let's allow space for disagreement that still includes respect, integrity, kindness and compassion. We look forward to seeing Helen back in this chamber, demonstrating those very qualities that she has in spades.

I rise to support this motion and to send my love and strength to the member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines. I can't claim to know Helen as well as many in this House who have spoken today—colleagues who have shared years of friendship and stories of who she is as a person. My time with Helen has been in moments—a short comment here, a kind word there across the chamber or in passing in the corridors. In those moments, Helen was always generous. She often praised my advocacy for my community in Fowler. She would tell me how important it is to have a diverse perspective in this House and that she loved hearing the stories I shared about the people of south-west Sydney. Helen, thank you. Your kind and encouraging words meant more to me than you might know.

Just last sitting, during one of the divisions Helen and I spoke at length, which is unusual because we often don't get to sit together, but we did that time. It was a lovely heart-to-heart conversation about life, family and health. Helen told me she couldn't wait to get to the end of the year and have a good, solid rest. We talked about how much work we do as Independents with our communities. We are forever going from one community event to the next. Helen said with a smile that no doubt I had more community events to attend than she did. For Helen, the challenge was distance. Indi is a big electorate, and those long drives, week after week, take their toll. We both agreed that health and family are everything. Helen had just become a grandmother again and said she was looking forward to the role.

What happened last Monday outside her office in Wangaratta shocked this House and the whole nation. Helen was simply doing her job, serving her community, when she was struck in what is alleged to be a deliberate attack. Those that have been hit hardest are the people closest to Helen. To Helen's team: You have been through something no-one should go through. Please look after yourselves and lean on each other. To the people of Indi: we are thinking of you, and we pray for your strength and resilience. To Phil and Helen's family: Phil, you said Helen's heart and mind are in good shape. That is so Helen. Her kindness, love and courage will carry you all through this. Helen, we are with you every step of the way.

I also want to thank everyone who came to Helen's side that afternoon. To the people of Wangaratta who rushed to help without a second thought for their own safety, thank you. To the paramedics, the police and the crew who flew Helen to Melbourne, thank you. To the doctors, nurses and staff at the Alfred who are caring for Helen right now, thank you. Helen spent her working life as a nurse and a midwife. She knows better than anyone the skill and compassion you bring to your work every day.

A motion like this is about more than words. If we are going to honour Helen, let's make it count for her and her community. Just a week before that day, Helen was in this place calling out the more than $9 billion gap in health spending between our cities and regional Australia. She spent her life as a nurse, a midwife and a health researcher, and she never stopped fighting for health care, including mental health care for people outside our big cities. I have fought for the same thing in south-west Sydney. Helen represents a region, and I represent an outer suburban electorate, but our communities have a lot in common. Both are too often left behind when funding is handed out. So my message to the government is this: Show us your commitment. Properly fund health and mental health care in our regions and outer suburbs so that our communities get the care they need so that everyone—MPs and the public alike—can live and work safely. That is what Helen would fight for, and that is how we honour her.

Helen, rest, heal and know that this House is behind you whatever the road ahead looks like. I commend the motion to the House.

Helen's husband, Phil, has spoken about her fighting spirit. Many of us have seen it in action in this place and in her community of Indi. It is a lifelong core value that makes Helen who she is. I was told by one of Helen's close friends, Anita, about a memorable moment when this fighting spirit was on display. In between nursing training, Helen and Anita were backpacking around the world. While in Rome, they walked an English woman that they had befriended to the railway station to ensure that she was safe. Then, they decided on a pit stop at a local gelato store. As they neared their accommodation, they became aware that they were being followed. As they feared, the two figures lunged at them, but they had certainly underestimated what two Australian nurses armed with gelato were capable of. Helen and Anita spun around, sinking the ice creams into the eyes of their attackers and kneeing them in their groins. As the figures reeled back, I'm told that Helen and Anita made a swift escape to their nearby accommodation. I understand that they have both since reflected that this move might not have been the safest approach.

Anita also shared with me these words:

Helen still has many friends from her nursing training days at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne—affectionately known as the "Feb 80"—and from her midwifery training at the Mercy Hospital, Melbourne, known as the "May 85".

Anita goes on to say:

From the moment we met her, we knew she was clever, funny and above all a kind person.

Long before her parliamentary days we knew we had a special friend.

We send her and her dear family all of our love and strength for recovery.

I was lucky enough to join Helen on an overseas delegation, where her thirst for understanding how we can learn from others to make things better was clear for all to see. Having travelled widely and been witness to the many challenges and risks across the globe, it is so heartbreaking that the greatest threat Helen would face would be on the doorstep to her own workplace in Wangaratta. I still can't comprehend this act of violence. It has shaken all of us, leaving us and our staff feeling exposed.

But there are many others in our community who are feeling the effects of increasing hostility in our communities. Our retail, hospitality and customer service workers, police, paramedics, nurses, doctors and care workers, train drivers, truck drivers, teachers and more in public-facing roles are feeling the impact of increasingly disrespectful behaviour. Our multicultural community is also feeling scared and targeted. Last week, I spoke with Illawarra Indian and Muslim leaders, and they are also experiencing increasing hostility.

As the Prime Minister and our security agencies have said for some time, we must turn the temperature down. This is a moment for everyone to step back and have a really good look at the kind of Australia we want, take a breath and start to put kindness and empathy back into our public debates. People have legitimate concerns about the cost of living, housing and access to services, which we all know are driving some discontent not just here but across the world, but the fact is that online algorithms, the anonymity of social media and a media far too often driven by drama rather than facts are giving people a platform for toxic views to circulate. Mis- and disinformation are designed to trigger emotional reactions and, too often, backed by aggressive rhetoric by some political and community leaders. We all have a responsibility to return respect, kindness and facts to our political debates, and I encourage everyone across our community to reflect on this.

Finally, I want to thank the first responders and the bystanders who came so quickly to Helen's aid. They show the best of who we are as a nation, as do the many health workers supporting her recovery around the clock. On behalf of all the people of Cunningham, our thoughts are with Helen, her husband, Phil, and their entire family as well as Helen's staff and everyone across her community. We love you, Helen, and we can't wait to have you back here in this chamber.

There are moments in this place when politics, party lines and business of parliament all seem very small compared to what really matters. This is one of those moments. The member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines, is a woman who earned the respect admiration and affection of so many people across this parliament and throughout regional Australia and, of course, in her own electorate of Indi. My thoughts and prayers are with Helen, her husband, Phil, their children and grandchildren and, of course, Helen's staff.

The member for Indi, Helen, is by any measure an extraordinary person, but what makes her extraordinary is not simply her contribution to this place or the causes she has championed; it is the person that she is. Helen grew up in a regional community where people understood the importance of looking out for one another. She has built her career caring for people as a bush nurse and midwife, serving regional communities through some of the most important and difficult moments in their lives, and she carried the same sense of service into this parliament.

Helen and I share a genuine love for regional Australia and the people who call it home. We both know that representing a regional electorate is more than turning up to parliament here in Canberra; it is about being out in our communities, listening to people, understanding their challenges and fighting for the places and the communities we are fortunate enough to call home. There is a real connection between people who represent regional communities. We understand the pride people have in where they live, the challenges they face and how much they rely on one another.

Helen has also been a tireless champion for rural and remote health care. Less than two weeks ago, Helen delivered a moving speech alongside our very own Mayor Dean Johnson, speaking about the persistent challenges facing rural and remote health care and the ongoing need for adequate funding to achieve equity in access to health care and achieve better outcomes for regional and remote communities. It was a powerful reminder that Helen cares about ensuring people in regional communities can access the health care they need regardless of where they live.

I've also had the opportunity and privilege to work along Helen through the regional development parliamentary committee, and it has been a real pleasure. Throughout that work, I've seen her commitment to regional communities firsthand. That common ground is something I've genuinely valued in working with Helen, and, Helen, I will continue to fight and champion for better health care in our regions for you.

Helen has demonstrated that you can challenge the way things are done, ask difficult questions and hold governments to account while still treating people with respect, because behind every member in this parliament is a person, a family and a community that cares about them. Helen's circumstances are a sobering reminder of that. No-one should have to fear for their safety because they have chosen to serve their community. Disagreement is a part of democracy. Debate is a part of this place. Holding different views is part of what makes our democracy work. But violence has no place in politics, in our communities or in our society.

Regional Australia needs people like the member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines, someone who understands their communities, who turns up, who listens, who cares and who is prepared to put in the hard work while no-one else is watching. I hope we never take for granted the people who dedicate their lives to serving others. Helen spent her career serving others, and now it is our turn to stand behind her and her family. I commend this motion to the House.

This past week, many of us in this place have prayed—some aloud and some silently—for our friend and colleague Dr Helen Haines, the member for Indi. I do not claim to know the member for Indi as well as many in this chamber do, but for the first few weeks when I started I watched her very carefully. I saw the rigour of her thinking, the strength of her convictions and the practical and determined advocacy she brings to this parliament on behalf of the people of Indi. The member for Indi never speaks to hear her own voice; she speaks because someone in her community is counting on her to do so. She has set a high standard for what Australians should expect from their representatives, and I'm grateful she set that standard when new members like me could see it. Today, she is alive and stable, and for that I give thanks.

Scripture tells us that, to follow Christ, it is up to us to take up the cross daily. Helen now carries a cross she never chose—one that is heavy, unjust and difficult beyond words. Yet my faith also teaches us that no-one is meant to carry such a burden alone. To Phil and to Helen's family and friends: please know that you are in my prayers and also those of the electorate of Barton. To Helen's colleagues in this place, especially those who work closely with her: I know this past week has weighed heavily on your hearts. Politics may challenge us on policies and priorities, but grief does not recognise party lines and neither does love. In moments like this, we are reminded that, before we are parliamentarians, we're human beings.

I will be pretty frank: over the past week, I've simultaneously felt quite deep sadness and frustration. Before entering parliament I spent over a decade practising as an employment lawyer, and throughout those years one principle remained constant: dignity at work. Every person has the right to perform their work safely. That principle applies whether someone works in an office, in a construction site, in a hospital, in a school or in this parliament. It applies in this building. It applies in every electorate office across the country. It applies at every community event where elected representatives engage with the people they serve—and it applies not only to members of parliament but also to the staff and the volunteers who work to support the work and make public service possible.

Violence towards any person is unacceptable. It's wrong, it's never justified and it can never be tolerated. I sometimes wonder whether people outside this building fully understand the gravity of what has occurred. An attack on the member for Indi is not simply an attack on an individual; it is an attack on the community that chose her to speak on their behalf. Democracy is founded on trust. It depends upon people willing to come forward, engage openly, represent others and serve their communities without fear for their safety. When that principle is threatened, all of us have an obligation to defend it.

I acknowledge and thank those who stepped forward when Helen needed them most—the civilians who ran towards danger rather than away from it, and the paramedics, police officers, doctors, nurses and emergency service personnel who have helped Helen get a chance to still be alive with us here today. To them: you represent the very best of our country, and our national character is very much defined by people like you.

Pope Francis once described politics as 'a lofty vocation' and one of the highest forms of charity because, at its best, it is an act of service to others. Helen has lived that calling every day through her commitment to her community. To Helen: your burden is heavy, but you do not have to carry that cross alone. Your family, your friends, your community, your parliamentary colleagues and your nation are all beside you. May we be worthy of the courage, grace and resilience that you show us all. Speedy recovery, Hel.

Parliament is a big place with lots of long corridors and lots of people. Everyone's busy. Everyone's rushing from place to place, trying to fit in too many meetings each day. The member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines, is always the one who says hello as you pass her in the corridor. No matter how busy she is, she always has time to pay attention to whomever is in front of her, ask how they are and actually listen to the answer.

The overwhelming response on hearing of this attack was shock—shock that it would happen to anyone, and then shock that it was, of all people, Helen, a woman known for her kindness, her compassion, her respect for others and her dedication to representing her beloved Indi community. I'd like to thank Helen's husband, Phil, for coming to speak to us this morning. In a time of great stress for their family, he took the time to come and talk to a group of her distressed colleagues—to give us comfort, to urge us to make this terrible event count for something and to give us Helen's words: hope and change.

There has been a lot of soul searching around here in this place and in this country about how we have come to this, but the signs have been there for a long time. In the days since the attack I have heard from colleagues of their experiences: stalkers, threats, security considerations they never thought they would have to take to keep them, their family, their staff and their constituents safe. We all know that if we put certain topics on social media we'll be targeted with vile personal abuse—social media pile-ons that are in no way a debate on the policy issue being discussed.

Citizenship ceremonies are always a source of great joy—being present to watch those people who choose Australia and choose Boothby, hearing them take the oath to be good citizens and hearing their stories about why they came here: for love, for work, for study or for a safe place to raise their family. The mayor of Marion, Kris Hanna, often remarks to new citizens that in the countries they come from the closest they would get to a politician would be a glimpse of a limousine with darkened windows and a police escort but that here in Australia we are all much more accessible—keen to engage. You can talk to us after the ceremony. You can come and see us in our office. You'll see us down at the shops. You'll see us taking our children to school or supporting a local sports team. This is precious. Unless we can engage with our constituents we can't properly represent them. And unless they can talk to us, how will we be able to help them?

While this week we are all in shock, it's important to reflect on the words Phil Haines said to us: hope and change. The vile social media, the misinformation and personal abuse not only affects us and our staff. They also affect other readers, and I can't imagine they're making the person posting them happy. The anger they spur drives division and despair. And that's the social media business model: they make money off our misery. This week, as we reel from the shock of the attack on one of our most beloved colleagues, social media has barely taken a breath. The abuse continues. Sometimes it even incorporates references to the attack. And some media commentators have taken the pause in the noise as an opportunity to fight back against calls for civility.

What we say matters. How we say it matters. In a world where there is so much constant input, so much noise, it is tempting to go further and further to be heard above the clamour. But what we say matters. What we say in this place, what the media says, what is said on social media matters, because you never know when the person who hears or reads your rhetorical flourish is already on the edge, is already distressed, and might take what you say literally and act on it. So as we reflect on our beloved colleague Helen and send best wishes to her and her family, as we thank the bystanders and the first responders who saved her life and as we send our thoughts to her staff, no doubt traumatised by what has happened to their boss just outside their workplace, I'd encourage all of us in this place and outside to reflect on what we personally can do to protect the country we value—a country that is safe for all of us, a country based on an open democracy where the community has a sense of commitment and ownership of that democracy. The kind, thoughtful compassion that Helen shows everyone is how we all want to be treated, and surely that is the country we wanted. We look forward to seeing Helen back in this chamber, advocating for the community and the country she loves.

The member for Indi should be here with us, working hard, representing her community that she cares for so much. Instead, last week she experienced an unthinkable attack, and today we come together as a parliament in our disbelief, in deep sadness and shock that this has happened to our much loved colleague and friend and that this would happen in our democracy. I speak on behalf of Canberrans too when I say our hearts are with you, dear Helen, and we are hoping and praying for you to have the smoothest recovery possible and to have strength and to have comfort through this. And our hearts are with your family, including your husband, Phil, your children, Will, Nick and Georgia, their partners and your very new little grandchildren, and your amazing staff team, who have gone through so much.

Dr Helen Haines has spent her life caring for others as a nurse, a midwife and an MP representing her community. She is kind, empathetic, always respectful, deeply committed and well known for her advocacy. It says much about Helen that so many members across the political spectrum are speaking about a diversity of issues that they have worked on together, with consistent reflections of her caring nature and the principled way in which she does this job. I'm very privileged to work with Helen as Co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Maternal Health, an area that she has made such an immense contribution to both before parliament and in parliament. In a recent chat I was having with Helen, I found myself pouring my heart out a little bit, maybe a bit too much, and I said, 'Sorry, Helen, I'm not sure why I'm telling you all this.' She said, 'It's because I'm a midwife,' but it's not that—it's who she is, but it is that quality that makes her exactly the kind of midwife you would want to have, the kind of friend and colleague you want to have and absolutely the kind of local member you want to have.

While this attack is shocking, it is also symptomatic of a political environment that has become increasingly heightened, divisive and aggressive. Helen's husband, Phil Haines, has spoken with such grace since the horrific attack on his wife, and this morning he came to parliament to share his family's most solemn wish—that this tragedy should be the event that will break the fever and be the moment at which we turn to a gentler and more cohesive path, and that we as representatives make the choice to lead us there. With a social media environment that thrives on hate and anger and is feeding real-life threats and violence, it is important that politicians and, indeed, anyone with a platform think carefully about what we are saying and the impact it has in our communities, including for people who are struggling with other issues. As Phil said, we have a choice to inflame or disarm this situation, and we must be able to disagree and to advocate without diminishing each other's humanity. In recent years, many, including our prime minister, have called for us to take the temperature down, and it is more important than ever.

Beside this horrific attack, we see the courageous and selfless acts of bystanders who ran into danger to help. I thank those brave Australians. It is significant that Ricky Jefferies, the barber who managed to remove the attacker from his car and keep him at the scene, did so not with violence or force but with kindness and calm. He told the ABC:

It was the right thing to do and to show him kindness and grace at a time that could have escalated from there.

Ricky, you absolutely are a hero. In these acts we find hope, and it is this kindness, respectfulness and decency through which we can de-escalate the tensions in our communities and keep our democracy alive and thriving.

Again, I want to send so much love and the very best wishes from myself and my community to the member for Indi. May we follow in her example.

I want to thank everybody who came to Helen's aid, especially Ricky the barber, the first responders and the staff at the Alfred. Everyone is doing their best right now to help us put all of this back together. I send my love to Phil and the family on behalf of my electorate and everyone who's reached out to me personally and everyone who has reached out to all members right across this place at the moment. Helen is pretty special. She sometimes walks to work with some of my staff, and she mentioned to them one day that, in the Federation Chamber, she can always tell when I get bored of whatever it is I'm reading and just go off script. So, Helen, if you ever see this, I have no notes. We are completely off script now.

Kindness—if you can choose to be anything in this world, you should choose to be kind. I try to be kind. It is the great strength. It's a true virtue.

Like a lot of first term MPs, when I first came to this place, I was intimidated. It's big and it's powerful. But in the Federation Chamber the bells rung in the middle of my speech. Helen let me know that it was going to be okay. She walked down with me for the vote. She walked me back up. She told me: 'You'll get to finish your speech. I was so hoping you'd get there, that you could just get through the end.' And that was the kindness. As I got to know her more and a few committees and just in passing, it was her defining characteristic. It's the thing that has been pointed out by so many people across this House. That's who she is. It isn't an affectation. It isn't something that she put on for show. At her absolute core, she is kind and decent to everyone that she came across. That was reflected in her first words as relayed to us today. They were about other people, not about herself.

I know that the crossbench talk about, 'What would Helen do', the matriarch of the crossbench. She would display kindness. She lives by that virtue. It's something that we should all aspire to in all aspects of our lives, not just when we're here, not just when we're interacting with other parliamentarians or the community, but everywhere. It costs nothing to be kind. You never know what kind of day someone's having. You never know what troubles are impacting their lives. You don't know what a simple act of kindness, a simple smile or a simple act of grace will mean to them. I'm reminded throughout this process of all of these little acts of kindness, all these little acts of grace, that Helen has shown every single person in this House, the time that she has taken and the universal approval that she has.

There's a lesson in that not just for parliamentarians, but for right across the country, right across the world. We can take the time to be that kindness and be that change. It doesn't have to be combative. It doesn't have to be disrespectful. It can be, 'I don't agree with you, but I can still respect you.' I think that when we all came here that's what we wanted to be, and it's Helen who shows us that every day. I look forward to her coming back through those doors, resuming her space where that orange parrot currently resides, celebrating that moment with her and showing the nation that we will never give in to the hate and that we will always embrace the kindness. Helen can be that avatar for us. As Phil has asked—and I think everyone in here owes it to the example set and to the request made—we should all be better.

We come together today with heavy hearts to pay tribute to Helen Haines, a woman whose life and work are defined by service, compassion, courage and an unwavering commitment to others. We feel a deep sense of sadness and concern for Helen, her husband Phil, her family, her staff and the community she has served so faithfully. The events of last week have shocked Australians across the country and in my electorate of Whitlam. I've had many messages from people in my electorate. The community is deeply concerned for Helen's welfare. I was grateful to be able to convey the very best wishes of the Whitlam electorate to Phil Haines in person here in parliament this morning.

Helen, we wish you, Phil, your family and staff all the very best. It is difficult to comprehend that a woman who has devoted so much of her life to caring for others and representing her community could suffer such devastating injuries while going about her work. Helen Haines has spent her career looking after other people. Before entering federal parliament, Helen built a distinguished career as a nurse and a midwife. I was contacted last week by a friend who used to live in Wangaratta, and he knew Helen when she was a midwife. He recalled the story of when his first child was born. Helen brought him and his wife a casserole the day after the birth of his son, and she said to them, 'It's a busy time, so I thought I would cook you something to have in the fridge.' He said he was so touched and described her as an exceptional human. Helen has carried this kindness into public life. Helen has brought to parliament her empathy, integrity, determination and a deep belief that every person deserves dignity and respect.

The circumstances surrounding Helen's injuries are a confronting reminder that violence of any kind has no place in our democracy. No-one in public life should have to fear for their safety while serving their community. No family should have to endure the anguish that Helen's family is currently enduring, and no disagreement, grievance or political difference can ever justify violence. We must reaffirm our commitment to respectful debate, peaceful disagreement and the fundamental right of every person to participate in public life without fear. Our democracy is strongest when we listen and respect one another.

Because of what has happened to Helen, Australia will never be the same again. As a result, we have an opportunity to change our community for the better, and we can do that by doing something very simple—showing one another respect. Australians are very decent people. We must have that decency on display all the time. That's the very best thing we can do now to show our support and love for Helen Haines, because that is what Helen stands for, and today is about Helen. It's about Helen, the person, the wife, the friend, the colleague and the woman who has touched so many lives through her work and through her character. We also think of Phil, whose love, courage and decency have been evident during this deeply distressing time. We think of Helen's staff and those present on the day of this terrible incident, and we think about the people of Indi, whose representative and friend is fighting for her recovery. To all of them, we offer our heartfelt support.

Helen's life has been marked by determination, and her husband has described her as a fighter. We can continue to speak up for the values that Helen has championed. We can ensure that the kindness, respect, integrity and courage she has demonstrated are reflected in our own actions. I invite all Australians to take up that challenge to show respect at all times. We can show respect to everyone we come into contact with—teachers, delivery drivers, people working on supermarket checkouts, wait staff, paramedics, nurses. Showing respect costs us nothing, yet it means so much. To Helen, once again: on behalf of the electorate of Whitlam, we send our love and best wishes. May you find strength in the kindness and concern of people across the country. Even in our darkest moments, kindness, respect, compassion, dignity and courage can bring us together.

Over the past few days, many people in Tangney have written to me, spoken with me and asked me to share their message of love with Helen. Our hearts go out to Helen, to her family, to her community and to her team. Helen and I are the same age, and many of our conversations have been about family and the joy of our love of being a grandparent. I first got to know Helen back in 2022 through our work together on the anticorruption legislation, and later we were on the parliamentary delegation trip to Malaysia. We have spent a lot of time together since then. We talk a lot and have a lot of long discussions. I feel very lucky to have had that opportunity to get to know Helen and to learn from her. I hold Helen in such a high regard for her integrity and her kindness, her selflessness in the way she has helped me and so many others in the House here, and her dedication and pride for her community. Helen is a beautiful person.

Many people in Tangney have asked me to share the sadness they felt at what had happened to Helen and to express concern and fear of what is happening to our society, our democracy and our community humanity. Our shared humanity is our strength. We are all human beings deserving compassion and care. We can all have bigger hearts. We can all treat people with loving kindness. For some time we have seen this fire of hatred and division burning and damaging our community, destroying our country. Every week, and sometimes many times a week, I have constituents reaching out to me about friends being attacked verbally or physically for being who they are. A father had his dastar—the Sikh turban—pulled off his head while out with his family at a shopping centre. Others are shouted at and abused because they have a different skin colour or because they have different opinions or beliefs.

I have had people call my office to say that they no longer feel safe to go out in a community they have always called home. There is concern across the community for the respect and safety for so many people who serve at the front line of our community, like police officers, nurses, emergency services, first responders, healthcare workers, teachers, retailers and many, many more. Abuse has never been accepted and yet it seems to be increasing by the day. This makes it harder for so many people to do their job, to do what they love and to be part of with their own communities.

We need to reduce the amount of polarisation and find those bridges we can build when we have differences. People must be able to disagree without abuse and threats. It must be possible to have different ideas and to still have respect for one another. We need to ask ourselves what needs to change so that we can live better together and what we can do to be kinder and more civil to one another. As I was out in my community this week, doorknocking and attending sporting events, senior events and high school graduations, I had many conversations about division but also many conversations about unity. There is more that unites us than divide us.

I, and all of Tangney, send Helen our love and very best wishes for her recovery. May all beings be well, happy and peaceful. May all beings be free from harm and danger. May all beings be free from mental or physical suffering.

I rise today to speak about my friend and colleague, the member for Indi. Helen and I were both elected in the same cohort, entering parliament in 2019. She immediately left an indelible impression on me as someone who stood out in public life for her decency, thoughtfulness and determination. She is deeply respected and admired in this place across the political divide, and throughout the community she has dedicated her life to serving.

Today is a time to reflect on the terrible incident that occurred last week at its most personal level and also on how it relates to politics and our public discourse more broadly. We are here to acknowledge the horrific events that led to Helen's injuries and, at the same time, to think about her as a person, a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a parliamentarian. She represents her local community with great passion, advocating for both local projects and systemic issues affecting regional communities. She has also been such an effective champion of some of the most important national issues that this parliament has had to grapple with in our time here. Throughout her time as a parliamentarian, she has strongly advocated for a national anti-corruption body. When a select committee was appointed to shepherd the formation of that institution, Helen was appointed deputy chair, and her appointment was welcomed across the political aisle. After the passage of the NACC legislation, she continued in her role as deputy chair of the ongoing oversight Committee, reflecting the respect and trust in which she is held by members of this chamber. Helen is a person and a parliamentarian of the highest calibre—the best of us, which has been a phrase so often used today.

The events we are reflecting on reinforce that no-one who puts themselves forward to serve their community should have to fear for their safety or accept threats, intimidation or violence as part of the job. Yet increasingly that is the environment in which people in public life are being asked to operate. My own office has experienced confronting behaviour, and I know we are far from alone. MPs and their safety have understandably been the focus of a lot of the discussion today and in the public discourse. I also want to stress that electorate officers are regularly exposed to threats, aggression and at times direct violence. I particularly want to acknowledge the extraordinary electorate officers who work for members and senators right across the political spectrum in this place and the other place. They are often the first point of contact for people who are in great need and in some instances also angry, distressed, frightened or desperate. Sometimes that anger is political. Sometimes it comes from people experiencing serious mental illness or profound difficulties. Sometimes it comes from people who feel like the world has stopped listening to them. Whatever the cause, our electorate officers often bear the brunt of it. They do extraordinary work, frequently with little recognition, and deserve to feel safe in their workplaces. We must never allow abuse and intimidation of MPs or their electorate staff to become routine.

Of course, as so many in this discussion today have noted, this problem exists well beyond politics. Nurses, doctors, paramedics, retail workers, teachers, social workers and so many others on the frontline of service delivery are increasingly being asked to manage aggression and violence simply because they are doing their jobs. There is something profoundly wrong when the people whose work it is to help others are themselves placed at risk, when compassion is met with aggression and public service with intimidation. So much of the aggression in our community is gendered, and that is another aspect of the discussion which has been so important today.

All of us in this parliament and across the community more broadly have a responsibility to set a higher standard, not just in what we say when something terrible happens but in our everyday conduct and language. Political disagreement and robust debate are essential to democracy, but, of course, the line shouldn't be crossed to violence and intimidation. Frankly, I think, quite often not accepting the valid motives of the people you're debating is the first step in heading towards unhealthy debate and clash.

I want to finish where I began, with Helen. Helen came into public life because she wanted to help people. She brought to parliament the same compassion and sense of purpose that led her into nursing, midwifery and research. My thoughts are with Helen; with her husband, Phil; and their entire family. She is a valued colleague, a deeply respected parliamentarian and above all a good friend and a good person. She has given so much of herself in the service of others. The very least we can all do is ensure that Helen and the many thousands of Australians who dedicate their lives to helping others can continue that service in safety. Helen, I look forward to seeing you back in this chamber where you belong—swift recovery.

On behalf of my family and my community of Maribyrnong, I rise to send my deepest love to Helen for everything she and her husband, Phil; their children and grandchildren; her family; and her staff have endured and to the people of Indi. While the attack on Helen was an act of horror, it also showed the very best of us. The local barber ran out into danger. The tourists with first-aid training administered life-saving treatment. Her staff were some of the first on the scene and have still been working on urgent casework in the wake of this attack.

I've been in this place for 18 months now, and something a lot of us new MPs do is watch and learn from those who are more experienced. Helen stood out to me, not because she was the loudest voice in the room but because she always operated with integrity and a quiet grit that has allowed her to be such an effective voice for her regional Victorian community. Helen has had her disagreements with this government, but she never made it personal. She's never punched below the belt. That's simply not how she approaches politics. I've seen it firsthand in a committee that we both sit on. Helen's intellect and ability to scrutinise difficult policy decisions with a calm and measured approach is a lead worth following.

The events of last week cause us all to reflect on the safety of public representatives, and, while I can list the barrage of abusive comments I receive daily online, I have also been thinking about the stories I'm told by teachers, nurses, paramedics, shop assistants and care workers who too suffer abuse in their workplaces every day. I know Helen has often raised this issue too, calling it out and pushing for better safety measures for frontline workers, especially women, who bear a pretty brutal brunt of particular abuse. Helen has been a staunch voice for greater protections to ensure our frontline workers, especially our health professionals, are safe at work. I think of those workers, many of whom were the first responders in this attack.

We must confront that the attack on Helen is a reflection of a bigger issue in our community, one of anger, of isolation, of hate and how we seemingly have lost the ability to disagree well. The temperature has been climbing for a while now, and it has not climbed on its own. Division and grievance as a strategy are chosen because they can be effective, but it's incumbent on all of us not to choose the politics of grievance. Let us be curious not judgemental. Let us disagree and debate the issues that matter with vigour and purpose, but let us all take a leaf out of Helen's book and never lose sight of others' humanity as we do so.

The social media platforms who monetise contempt and hate have no reason to stop on their own. The media has its role to play to, and then there is this parliament. What gets said in this chamber does not stay confined to this building, and somebody on the edge out there is listening to us and taking their lead from us. Nothing can change what happened last Monday, but we what we can do is a thing that Helen has been doing here for seven years: go as hard as you like on the argument, but do it with humility and humanity, and leave the person out of it.

Before I finish, I want to give a special shout-out to Helen's staff. We know, despite witnessing the aftermath of Helen's attack, they have continued to serve the Indi community. That is simply extraordinary, given what they have endured. I want to acknowledge the courage and the strength it takes to carry on in the face of such trauma. Finally, Helen, a self-described defiant optimist, I have no doubt you'll tackle this recovery with the same outlook. I once again extend my very well wishes to you and your family and for what will be a long road ahead, but I look forward to sitting across from you in this place very soon.

I can remember the very first time I first heard about Helen Haines. Cathy McGowan, the former member for Indi, and I got to know each other really well, driving many kilometres for the ag committee's various inquiries over the years. When Cathy decided not to run again, she said to me that she had someone who was truly special to fill her shoes. She said she'd found a force, someone who would serve her community with authenticity and decency. How true that turned out to be. I spoke to Cathy last Monday night, not long after the attack, and she was truly devastated but was supporting Helen's team and the broader community of Indi and their supporters.

It really is difficult to find the words to describe the heartbreak of what has happened to Helen Haines. To hear that Helen has lost both of her legs following this devastating attack is just truly unimaginable. Our thoughts, all of our thoughts—my community back home, my colleagues, all of Australia—are with Helen, her family, her friends, her staff and everyone who loves her as they face what will be an incredibly difficult and life-changing time. Helen now faces a journey that will change so many aspects of her daily life. Things most of us take for granted will look very different, and she and those closest to her will need enormous strength and support in the months ahead. I want Helen to know that she is in our thoughts. We want to offer that support, and we want to offer that love and encouragement for her in the dark days and, hopefully, some light-filled moments ahead.

On Friday, while I was out doing some fruit and veg shopping, when I'd gotten home from Canberra, a local bloke approached me. He said, 'You take care of yourself; what a week.' I didn't know him from a bar of soap, but I knew instantly what he was talking about. He said, 'Meryl, I know you're just trying to do your groceries, but can I tell you a quick story?' And I said, 'Of course. Sure.' He said: 'A number of years ago, I was at the cricket. I was in the members. I'd never been there before, and I've never been there since. But at the break I stood up, and I was stretching, and, as I spun around, the bloke behind me was doing the same thing. It was John Howard. He was the Prime Minister. In that moment, I thought, "How good is Australia?" I can be here at the cricket with the Prime Minister.' Then he said: 'That's my Australia. Now, I know a few years have gone by, but that's still Australia. That's the Australia I want to live in. And you know what? You politicians, you do a pretty good job. But you know what? We need you to be out in our communities. You need to keep doing that. You need to keep turning up.'

I've really reflected on that conversation amidst all of the pain and the sadness and the shock and the horror. I just keep going back to that bloke in the fruit shop, and thinking that we've got to hang on to those sentiments. We've got to have a belief and an understanding that we are better than this. He wasn't describing anything particularly extraordinary. He was describing, for him, something that was wonderfully Australian—the idea that you could go along to the cricket, enjoy a game and happen to sit with someone like a prime minister and that public life and everyday life could sit side by side without fear or hostility. I think that man captured something important about this country. We want to live in a country where people can go about their lives, where our public representatives are a part of our community and where differences of opinion do not take away from our shared humanity.

I want to acknowledge the people who came to Helen's aid in those moments after the attack. Ordinary Australians stepped forward when someone needed them and offered assistance, comfort and care in what must have been an incredibly confronting situation. They didn't stop to consider who Helen was, what she believed in, what differences they might have or how she may or may not have voted in this chamber. They saw a person in need and helped. They stepped up. That simple act of humanity says something more about Australia, too, because this is about more than politics; it is about how we treat one another, particularly when life is difficult, when emotions are running high and when we disagree, often vehemently. Civic leaders are people too, and behind every public figure is a human being with a family, people who love them and their own challenges and vulnerabilities. Choosing to serve your community should never mean accepting cruelty, intimidation or threats as part of your job. I just want to say again: Helen, get well. We love you. May the wind be at your back.

I was at an awards ceremony last Monday when our chief whip Jo rang and said that something really terrible had happened to our colleague and friend Helen Haines, that she had been run down by a car in her electorate and it might have been deliberate. I thought 'Helen, Helen Haines'—Helen who I was in a lift with just a few weeks ago in Parliament House, where she asked, 'How are you going?' It's something I imagine she asks all of us, all the time, no matter our political persuasion. Always the nurse, always caring for all of us—that's Helen. I don't know Helen as well as most here, but we've chatted before about the challenges I've faced as a new MP and my surgery last year. She has listened and offered sound and thoughtful advice, as all those who love her in this place know. As her husband, Phil, said this morning, her superpowers are empathy, compassion and kindness, always. While I was outside the school hall, Jo asked me if I was okay and said if I needed anything to call her. I felt like I couldn't breathe. My chest hurt and, like the speed of light, my brain went straight to her fight for life, the flashes of fear that she may have had, the confusion of not knowing what was hurt or who was hurt and the urgency and the heroism of bystanders, her staff and first responders. I went there because I know it.

What I do not know is being deliberately attacked, targeted at work by a member of the community I serve and love. It has hit us all so hard, particularly the crossbench. We know your hearts are breaking for Helen. We too are upset and shocked. Some of us are frightened because almost all of us have faced abuse and threats of violence online and in our communities, frightened because we know that words said online, in the media, in cartoons and in parliament fuel real-life verbal abuse, real-life threats and real-life violence. As the Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek, said today, the explosion in social media tracks the explosion of sexual violence and strangulation. We're frightened because, as women, we know that threats and abuse have increased at an alarming rate over the past 12 months not just for MPs but for teachers, hospital workers, retail staff, transport workers and emergency service workers. In just three months, over 55,000 comments have been filtered out of my social media pages because they were abusive, ableist, sexist or threatened violence upon me or my family.

This morning Phil, Helen's husband, left her hospital bedside to speak to MPs and senators, her friends and colleagues. He left her for a couple of hours to speak to us. He said his family's wish was that their tragedy be the moment that breaks the fever, the moment Australia chooses to be gentler and that we as politicians lead the way. Phil asked us to think about the impact of words on people outside the parliament, on those who are reading social media feeds, on those who are vulnerable or mentally ill. He asked us to be better, and we must be better and we must demand better from big tech and the online environment. Words matter.

Helen's path over the next few months and years will be hard. But, as I said to Phil this morning after I gave him a big hug, Helen will create a new normal, a life that will be a bit different, but there will be happiness, joy, work, quality time with family and many good times with her beloved community. Our challenge in here is: can we create a new normal online, in our communities and in this place that is safe, kind and compassionate, a new normal in which we politely disagree, a new normal in which we ask, 'What would Helen do?' On behalf of my electorate of Dickson, our thoughts are with Helen, her family, her staff, her friends and her community of Indi. Thank you to the first responders, health workers, heroic bystanders and her staff. Helen, I hope that you know how much you are loved.

I was deeply saddened to hear of the attack on Helen Haines and the injuries that she sustained. While Helen and I represent different parts of Australia, there is much that connects Indi and Braddon. After Braddon, Indi is the next largest electorate by geographic size. Both electorates are proudly rural, made up of communities that stretch from small regional centres to very remote locations. They are high-mileage, worn-shoe-leather electorates where much of that job is spent out on the road listening to people, visiting towns, attending local events and understanding the challenges and opportunities facing our diverse communities. Both electorates are underpinned by primary production and are now growing in new directions with renewable energy generation. Both are strengthened by vibrant and creative community networks and sustained by volunteers who so often wear two, three or more hats to keep their towns thriving. Families who have lived there for generations stand alongside newcomers, who have chosen to live, work, play and learn in some of Australia's most remarkable landscapes.

The outpouring of love and support by Helen for her community tells us a lot about the person she is. It tells us that she has worked hard to earn the respect that she commands. It tells us that the people of Indi see themselves in her. It tells us each that she has earned her place as a trusted representative who listens, shows up and understands the needs of her region. Most of all, it tells us that what motivates Helen is making sure her community is stronger, fairer and more inclusive. That is the Helen we know as our colleague: a determined advocate, a respected representative and someone who is deeply committed to the people she represents.

My thoughts are with Helen and her husband, Phil, as well as their family and friends and her staff, who have stood beside her and supported her and the family through this event. From the communities of Braddon to the communities of Indi, we wish her the very best for her recovery.

I've sat here today for hours thinking: 'Where do you find words to describe what's happened? Where do you find words that are going to make an ounce of difference to Helen, Phil, the staff, all the first responders and everyone that was involved?' It's not going to take some of that pain away, and it's near impossible. It's impossible because Helen is a very special person. As neighbours, we've both covered the Murrindindi Shire a bit, and we've had lots of discussions about different things.

Helen is one of those unique people who you can spend five minutes listening to and—it doesn't matter how angry or worked up you are—she just brings calmness. She is a paragon of virtue, really. Last Monday, I was just 20 minutes away from where it happened. The shock that it brought to those across the nation and the globe is unbelievable. Helen is a noble soul. She's a person who is calm. She oozes integrity, and, most importantly, decency—common decency and humanity. To think of what's gone on and the things that have happened—it is quite hard to fathom.

Today, when I looked at a lot of different notes that people had put online, I thought: 'How did we get to this space? How did we get to a place where this sort of action happens?' I know post COVID we've had a lot of issues. People went through COVID and it was a tough time. Then we had Ukraine-Russia straight after that, then Israel-Palestine and the US and whoever they've got this week. There hasn't been a break.

But violence is never an answer. It's never an answer to any sort of question. It affects people you know in this place and outside—like a friend of mine, Heather McTaggart, a former MP in Victoria, who just today talked about the vitriol that she gets. It's just got to stop. No matter how hard we do our jobs by coming in here and doing everything we need to do, it's moments like this that make you sit back and reflect on what's important. What's important is to see people like Helen do their job the way they do it best—being out and about, being in front of people and being the person she is, the great karma, the great relaxed human.

The Dalai Lama once said that being a good human being is about being a kind-hearted, affectionate person—in other words, be a Helen, because she just epitomises everything you want in a nice person. Seeing Phil today was pretty tough, but you could see how the two of them together are an unbreakable force. They're both extremely well balanced, kind, caring and fulfilled. To be able to come up here today and talk to us speaks volumes about the human being he is and the human being he's married to. You can see why those two have such a great relationship.

Helen's got a big challenge ahead of her. I'd like to see her face when she sees all these speeches and people talking about her; that would be very interesting because she's a humble person. But she's got this rare thing where she's got a big challenge and she's got a nation right behind her—a nation of decent people who want to see her back and who want to see her growing. The challenge that her staff face now and into the future is going to be tough, and that's why we made the commitment that we would help wherever we could, to help support them in their needs that they have. To the first responders that were there on scene, I know from speaking to some of them firsthand the shock they had with all this happening.

Violence is unacceptable. As people try very hard, very quickly, to put someone in a box of why it's happened, let's let the police and the agencies do their jobs, because all this is doing is stirring up more and more of what we don't need. What we need now, and into the future, is to focus on Helen and her family, and make sure that we're all continuing to do what we do—but do it in a far better spirit than we have been.

I rise today not simply as a member of parliament but as a nurse, a midwife and someone who understands something of the privilege and the responsibility of caring for people at their most vulnerable. I rise to speak to my colleague No. 9, who I've had the privilege of spending some time with over these last 18 months as co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Nursing. Helen is No. 9—the ninth nurse ever in parliament—Ged is No. 8 and I'm No. 10. I proudly walk in Helen's footsteps, and she's been a great mentor and inspiration to me.

Helen, what has happened to you is devastating. The injuries that you have suffered and the enormity of what lies ahead for you and your family is difficult to comprehend. We are all in shock and sadness. Before you entered this parliament, you spent decades caring for people as a nurse, as a midwife and, later, as an academic. You cared for people at the beginning of their life, in moments of uncertainty, in times of illness and when families needed somebody to stand beside them. You know what it means to be the person wearing the uniform, making the decisions, providing reassurance and holding the hands of people who are frightened. You know that behind every diagnosis, every procedure and every hospital bed is a human being with a story, a family, hopes and fears, and a life beyond the hospital walls. And now, Helen, you find yourself on the other side of the bed, on the other side of that experience. As nurses, we know that when a person experiences such a major traumatic injury the medical team, of course, focus on survival, stabilisation and the immediate clinical challenges—and those things are essential. But we also know that the person is much more than their injuries. As your husband, Phil, eloquently and graciously informed Australia, you have your incredible intellect and your kind heart, and you are you. We love you, Helen, as this outpouring of emotion from the parliament obviously shows.

This is an emotional journey, with your family anxiously waiting beside your bed. And there are questions that cannot be answered yet, and the future that must be faced one day at a time. There is also the extraordinary work of the nurses and doctors, allied health professionals and other staff who have cared for you since the incident, including the first aiders, and who will also care for you in the days, weeks and years ahead. To those professionals, I want to say thank you. From one nurse to another, from one health provider to another, I know the difference that skill, compassion, patience and kindness can make when somebody's world has been turned upside down. And Helen, I trust and hope that you will receive the same care, humanity and dignity that you have shown to others throughout your career. You've advocated for patients and your community, and now it's your turn to receive that help.

I've often thought that nursing teaches us lessons that extend far beyond the bedside. It teaches us to listen before we judge, to recognise vulnerability without diminishing the person, and to understand that sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply be present. Those are lessons that matter in this parliament, too—which you have shown us through your time here so far. Helen, you've brought your nursing experience, your understanding of rural communities and your commitment to the people of Indi to this place. You have shown that our parliament is strengthened when people who have different backgrounds and perspectives work together in the service of the Australian community.

At times—and this is one of them—political differences do not matter, and party labels do not matter. What matters is Helen—a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, nurse and colleague, and a person whose life has been changed in circumstances no-one should have to endure. To Phil, your children, your grandchildren and everyone else who loves you, I want to extend my deepest sympathy for the distress and uncertainty you face. We cannot take away what has happened, but we can stand beside you, support you and give you the space and privacy you need. You deserve the time, care and support to face the future in your own way.

There are moments when the business of this place must pause and we are reminded of the people behind the positions we hold. The horrific attack on the member for Indi, Helen Haines, is one of those moments. My thoughts are with Helen, her family, her staff and her community. Helen is an extraordinary woman who has dedicated so much of her life to public service. She brings wisdom, integrity and compassion to this parliament, and her contribution extends far beyond the boundaries of her electorate. I have the privilege of working closely with Helen on the Speaker's panel, where I have seen firsthand her professionalism, her generosity and her unwavering commitment to strengthening our democracy. She understands that each of us has a responsibility to uphold the institutions and democratic values that bring us here.

Helen is not only a respected colleague but a valued friend. Over the years we've come to know each other beyond the confines of this building, crossing paths while holidaying in a place that is very special to us both. Those encounters have given me the opportunity to see Helen away from the demands of public office, and they've only reinforced my admiration for her. Whether in parliament or indeed far from it, she's the same thoughtful, generous and deeply grounded person, with a genuine interest in those around her and a remarkable ability to bring people together. Her warmth, intelligence and good humour are constants, not just the qualities that she brings to this place. Those moments are real insight into a person.

I also want to acknowledge her loving husband, Phil, whose courage and dignity in recent days has moved so many Australians. No family should ever be asked to endure circumstances like these. Helen's staff also deserve our recognition. They work tirelessly to support Helen and the people of Indi and they too deserve our compassion and support now. To the people of Indi, your love and solidarity matter enormously. The way that your community has rallied together in this difficult moment is a powerful reminder that kindness can prevail even in the darkest of circumstances. I want to pass on the heartfelt good wishes of the people of Newcastle, Helen. So many Novocastrians have contacted my office and approached me personally to express their concern, support and solidarity. It's a powerful reminder that our connection to community is not only the reason we serve but also what sustains us through our most difficult moments.

We must never accept violence as an inevitable feature of public life. We must also be honest about the forces shaping our national conversation. Too often, outrage and conflict are rewarded because they generate attention and profit, yet the public interest is not served by a culture that values provocation over understanding. We need journalism that informs rather than inflames, that values context over conflict and that serves the public interest above the pursuit of clicks. Social media has amplified these challenges, often rewarding anger and division over constructive engagement. Social media companies have a responsibility to ensure their platforms are not used to spread threats, abuse or incitement.

But responsibility does not rest with the platforms alone. All of us have a role in rejecting a culture that profits from fear, outrage and division. Every member of this parliament should be able to represent their community free of fear. We must reject the false choice between robust debate and mutual respect. Democracy requires both. We can disagree passionately. We can scrutinise ideas vigorously. We can hold one another to account. But we must do so without demeaning, vilifying or threatening one another. A healthy democracy depends on contesting arguments, not attacking individuals. Respect is not a barrier for free speech. Civility is not a weakness. Compassion is compatible with conviction. What happened to Helen challenges all of us to consider what more we can do to protect our democracy and foster a kinder, more respectful Australia. Today I join with Helen and others in this place who have pledged to act with honesty, respect and compassion in our political lives. Let that commitment be part of our answer to the challenges we've witnessed in this last week.

Helen, please know that you are loved and surrounded by a parliament that cares deeply about you. You've given so much to your community and to this parliament. Now it is our turn to stand beside you. We all wish you strength, comfort and healing in the weeks ahead, and we look forward to seeing you back in this place in your seat, representing the good people of Indi.

If you put Helen Haines and me in a room together, you'd probably wonder what we'd have to talk about—Helen, a respected nurse, midwife and rural health researcher from regional Victoria, and me, a former coalminer, fitter and turner, and Olympic shooter from the Hunter. On paper, we could not be more different. But I've learnt that sometimes the people you least expect to have something in common with turn out to be the ones you respect the most. Helen is certainly one of those people. That's what makes the events of the past week just so heartbreaking. Nobody should ever experience what Helen has but particularly not somebody who has dedicated her life to helping others. My thoughts have been with Helen, her husband, Phil, their family, her staff and everybody impacted.

The first time I met Helen, she was kind, open and upfront. She didn't muck around. She told you what she thought, listened and treated you with respect. You always knew where you stood with Helen. We sit in different parts of this chamber and disagree on some things, but what I've always known of Helen is that she's here for the right reasons. She's here to fight for the people who put their trust in her. Not too long ago, we shared a panel at Politics in the Pub at the Australian National University. We discussed our communities and the challenges facing regional Australia. What struck me the most was just how many problems we shared: access to health care, decent roads, housing, telecommunications, local jobs and making sure regional communities aren't forgotten about. Indi and the Hunter are hundreds of kilometres apart, but many concerns are exactly the same. We both believe regional Australians deserve the same opportunities as anyone in our capital cities. We might have different ideas about getting there, but we're passionate about our communities. That's what politics should be about—people with different views having a conversation and finding ways to make life better.

These events have shaken this parliament and communities right across our beautiful country. We expect disagreement, criticism and robust debate—that is democracy—but nobody should fear for their safety or their family and staff because they've chosen to serve their community. We cannot allow violence, threats or intimidation to become part of political life, and we cannot let fear stop us from doing the job Australians elected us to do. Behind every member of this place are people who love them, worry about them and support them through the toughest of days. This week has brought that home to all of us. The arguments we have here matter, but so does remembering that the person across the chamber has a family, friends and a community who care about them very deeply. We must never lose that perspective.

To Phil and Helen's family, thank you for the love and strength you've shown through this unimaginable time. Phil, I want to acknowledge your strength in particular. Nothing prepares you for this and what's happening to the person that you love. Supporting Helen while dealing with your own shock and worry is an enormous load to carry. We're thinking of you too, mate. You deserve the same care and support you've been giving to others. To Helen's staff, dealing with their own shock while supporting their community, thank you. To the first responders, thank you for your courage and professionalism. And to Ricky Jefferies, the barber who came to Helen's rescue, thank you, mate. When somebody desperately needed help, you stepped up. An Australian looking after another Australian—that's something special. People in the Hunter have been stopping me and asking about Helen and checking that I'm okay as well. These events have affected so many people. As Special Envoy for Men's Health, I encourage people to check in on their mates and have those difficult conversations. Right now that's more important than ever.

To Helen, thank you for your friendship, your kindness, your honesty and your commitment to regional Australia. You show that people can disagree politically while treating each other with decency and respect. My thoughts remain with you, Phil, your family, your staff and the entire Indi community. Helen, we know there's a long road ahead. Take the time you need and know you've got plenty of people in your corner. We're looking forward to having you back in this chamber, bringing that same determination, honesty and strong voice for the people of Indi. Get well soon, Helen.

There are moments in your life when it seems like life stands still and you watch history unfold in slow motion. Last Monday was one of those moments. I was at a citizenship ceremony when I heard the unimaginable news about the member for Indi. It's interesting because citizenship ceremonies are one of my favourite parts of my job, and often at citizenship ceremonies I share the story of my parents' first days in Australia, with my mum and sister not having a place to stay and my dad's boss, Bob, saying, 'They can stay with us.' I share that because it's a story of kindness and also the way that lifelong friends can form, and I end that story by telling citizens to choose each other and to choose kindness. I think that the member for Indi lives that every single day.

People come to this place for many different reasons. For the majority of us, if not all of us, it's fundamentally about making our communities a better place, and Helen embodies that more than anyone. She's one of the kindest and calmest people in this building. Sometimes you meet people, and they are just so grounded. Helen is one of them. I have no doubt that she honed these skills as a midwife. If I think about birth, it's messy and it's beautiful. It's the fragile beginning of a new life, but it also can be life or death. I can only imagine the calm that Helen would bring to a birthing suite. It's the same calm that she brought into this chamber. I think that was what made it so shocking for me.

It's interesting because the member for Indi was elected in 2019. When I was elected in 2022, there was a huge new crossbench that was also elected. What was interesting was seeing the camaraderie form amongst the crossbench. I loved that the member for Kooyong had shirts made that said, 'What would Helen do?' I think that that's a good question for us alright now, and I think that Helen would want us to be kinder, to seek to understand before we seek to be understood and to stay curious about each other. When you strip it back, most of us all want the same thing—a roof over our heads, a decent income, access to education and, importantly, to go to work and come back home safe from work. We are indeed all humans.

Helen, the member for Fisher and I co-chair the Parliamentary Friends of Cycling, and I've loved working alongside her. I'm not the only one who feels the same way about this. Stephen Hodge and his team at We Ride shared these words with me today: 'Helen Haines has been convenor of the friendship group since 2020 and has been a warm, intelligent and highly engaged supporter since the very start of this journey together. Her advice and support have been invaluable throughout the time we've all worked together with the co-chairs of the group.' I couldn't have said it better myself.

I know that public life comes with sacrifices. For many of the people that work in this place it takes a toll on your relationship with your partner or with your kid. But the price of serving your community should never be your safety. That is far too high. To anyone that's thinking about running for office: I'm going to say that we actually still need you. We need the best and brightest minds to put their hands out. We as the parliament have a responsibility to make sure that we make all workplaces safer, whether that's someone working in an underground mine, someone working in a bar, someone working at a checkout at a supermarket or even a parliamentarian working in her community. To anyone that's faced violence or abuse at work: it is unacceptable. I also want people to recognise that the standards that they walk past are the standards that they accept. I think everyone has an important role in not being a bystander.

We also need to learn how to disagree agreeably. To all of us in this place: our words matter. They ricochet across the country like an echo. We need to be very intentional about what we want our community to hear and also say back. What I want to try and do is channel the kindness of people like Helen, because I want to grow up in a loving community where people love their community and love their country. To Helen: your recovery journey is going to be very long, and I wish you the best of luck. You've got the whole parliament behind you as well as the whole nation.

The universal truth here is that everyone in this building loves Helen. From parliamentarians across the parliament to staff and parliamentary attendants, everyone loves Helen. It really hurts me to be speaking here about someone who I consider a friend and who I deeply admire and who unfortunately is now in a terrible situation due to an act that none of us can explain. Helen is one of the finest people you could ever meet and one of the finest parliamentarians, driven by her deep commitment to her electorate, to public service, to health care and to working towards a better community for all of us. I'm shocked, I'm sad and I'm frustrated about what's happened to my friend. I know she's not out of the woods yet, but, if the force of will of the whole parliament could make it better, it would. We wish her a recovery in as short a time as possible.

I've had the privilege of working with Helen, alongside her, through our parliamentary friendship groups, including the parliamentary friendship group for public health, and I've admired her intellect and her ability to understand the deepest levels of public health policy. Helen believes in the power of this parliament to be a force for good and getting on with the job of advocating for and representing the Australian people. She is a longstanding healthcare worker, a nurse and a midwife, and we often discussed how wonderful it is to be involved with the care of newborn babies and watch them grow up and flourish in our communities. We even both used to joke that many of them are now coming back and voting for us at the polling booths, and that's a wonderful feeling.

Whenever I met Helen or whenever we were on committees together or whatever or we met in the morning coming into parliament, I'd always ask her how she was. She always used to say, 'I'm terrific, what a great day this is.' I would always reply, 'I'm not bad for an old bloke.' I want that to happen again soon. I want to be able to do that. There is a long road to recovery ahead of Helen. Whilst that road is long, after hearing from her very loving husband, Phil, this morning, who briefed us on Helen's condition, I know she will be back here with us as soon as she can, and she will benefit from the care of everyone around her and the love of her children and grandchildren and her husband, Phil. I'm thinking of them during this incredibly difficult time and also of Helen's staff, who showed their own bravery in getting back to work in spite of the terrible trauma that they've suffered. I really congratulate them.

The political temperature now is too high and has been too high for some time. All of us have suffered abuse, no question. Why female politicians are picked out to suffer that abuse, I'm deeply ashamed of. I've seen from some of my friends, like Linda Burney and others, the racist, misogynistic, disgraceful abuse that they've suffered. That has to be removed. I don't know why some men feel comfortable doing that, and we need to look at the reasons why and really get rid of them. They should not be behaving that way. Being an elected representative is a very public job, and everyone should be encouraged to stand if they want. I admire people who stand for election. But the election pulse, the election temperature, needs to come down.

I'd like to thank the first responders. I'd like to thank our state police and the Federal Police for the way they do protect us. I'd like to commend the first responders and the general public that came to Helen's aid. As a healthcare worker, Helen knows that there should be no discrimination in care and that everyone who needs help can get it. She would have been the first there, I'm sure, if it were someone else. I wish Helen and her family the very best. We all love her. We all are praying for her. I look forward to the day when I can greet her coming into parliament. I congratulate all those in parliament who have spoken about Helen's predicament, and I wish her and her family the very best.

Listening to the contributions to this —I'm reluctant to call it a debate; it's support around this motion across the chamber—it is as the Prime Minister described it this morning. The events have left a stone in our hearts. But some of the contributions today have lifted some of that weight and, I think, given us hope. Within this building, we had the privilege of hearing from Phil Haines today. He talked about his wife and her qualities and her superpowers. In fact, as long as I am in this parliament, I'm not sure that I will ever hear a better contribution than the one made by Phil Haines today. So it is with heaviness that I express my gratitude and extend my sincere thoughts to Phil and Helen and their family, friends and staff and the community that have rallied around them not only in Wangaratta but across the country. It is such an obvious thing and has been said many times, but it is really an indication of what it means to be Australian that people run towards danger and that that we will, at the end of the day, look out for others before we look out for ourselves, which I think is also a good description of Helen Haines herself.

It is, I think, in some ways too early to ascribe motives. We know it's too early to ascribe motives. I think you could take what happened to the member for Indi out of the debate. We know that our democracy is in a fragile place. Perhaps it is social media. Perhaps it is economic dislocation. Whatever it is, something has changed, and something changed before Helen Haines was attacked.

I do like to remind people that Australia has a unique democracy. At 125 years old, we are one of—believe it or not—the oldest democracies in the world. There is something about the Australian spirit. I love to tell the story when I can that, along with all of the convicts who stole bread who were in the First Fleet, there were political prisoners, such as the Tolpuddle Martyrs, trade union activists who were too troublesome for the home country and so they sent them out here. That's why we were one of the first countries—in fact, we were the first country—to have the secret ballot. We were the first country to allow men to vote regardless of whether they owned property or had wealth, and we were one of the first countries to allow women to vote. Our democracy is not just an extra to our national spirit; it defines our national spirit.

To see what social media has become and is doing to democracy breaks my heart. I had a personal experience of this during the 2020 campaign. I'd run a couple of times by then in state elections. During the 2020 council elections I was able to run the campaign for the best candidate I ever had, Renee Clarke, for the Gold Coast council. She was the best candidate because she let me, as the campaign manager, run the campaign. I'm not sure that we could say that for all of the candidates in this room! Running her campaign and running her webpage back in 2020, before it really started to supercharge, was just an entirely different experience with a woman candidate from any time that I'd run as a male candidate. The level of abuse, the level of patronisation and the level of awfulness was something that I had never experienced and, to this day, have never experienced as a male candidate. So there is something going wrong.

But, if you listened to Phil's speech today and the contributions that we've heard in this House, there is also something going right. I'm eternally optimistic that we have it in our community to recover from this. Helen Haines, before this attack, was an example for how we get out of this trouble, but even more so she is an inspiration today. I wish her a speedy and strong recovery.

The House transcript was published up to 20:04. The remainder of the transcript will be published progressively as it is completed.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Mascarenhas ) took the chair at 11:01.