Helen Haines Attack: State Bolsters Parliament Security

Federal independent MP Helen Haines was attacked outside her Victorian electorate office on Monday. Her legs were amputated, and her condition improved from critical to serious but stable. Authorities are preparing to bolster security around Parliament. The attack has returned the safety of elected representatives to public attention, while those facing threats describe the danger beyond the chamber.

“That was a pretty scary moment,” said Canberra Liberals MLA and former ACT opposition leader Elizabeth Lee, describing a hand-delivered death threat naming her daughter and partner, left at her home's front gate. “It does actually question, to me, as a parent especially, whether it's worth it.” Lee said she had contacted police twice over “very serious threats.”

The Threats Behind the Security Response

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said inflamed political rhetoric directly correlates with threats and abuse against parliamentarians, sometimes prompting an immediate reaction. On ABC's Insiders on Sunday, she said police were being inundated with serious threats and charged one person a week.

Barrett described how the police workload has changed. Her day at the AFP once involved sifting through handwritten threats to elected officials; now, it often starts with a pages-long report on threats to MPs. “These days, of course, you can sit behind a keyboard and you can bash out a threat or abuse very, very quickly,” she said. Threats against female parliamentarians include threats of sexual violence, Barrett said. “We are not here to police free speech. We are not here to intervene in political discourse.”

Lee said that over the past decade representing her community, she had received sexist and racist online comments, including personal criticism of her weight, body shape and clothing. She tries to balance ignoring comments with calling them out, so her two daughters can see that the behaviour isn't acceptable.

ACT Health Minister Marisa Paterson said constituents had yelled abuse and names at her, spat at her outside shops, and made violent threats face-to-face. She called “97 per cent of interactions” “amazing,” but said abuse in person and online was a “disturbing part of the job” that made her “feel very vulnerable.” “It's predominantly men. In fact, all of my examples are men,” she said. Paterson said online abuse had “ramped up” very significantly over the past 18 months, particularly misogynistic, violent and hateful comments.

Greens MLA Laura Nuttall said social media users often targeted her sexuality, gender and appearance. “I've copped a bit of queerphobic abuse, which is never fun,” she said. The attack on Haines frightened her, but Nuttall said she wanted to keep meeting constituents at local shops and remain accessible.

A Pledge, and More Protection for Parliament

Federal MPs were to be urged to sign a civility pledge that Haines alone had backed before the attack. “In my political life, I pledge to act with honesty, respect and compassion,” it states. Independent MPs close to Haines wanted colleagues to sign, but weren't proposing a prescriptive or rigid approach. The pledge offers words for MPs to adopt; the response also includes a concrete security expansion.

Speaker of the House Milton Dick was expected to invite MPs to speak about the attack on Monday and might refer to the pledge's themes, leaving MPs to honour Haines as they saw fit. Politicians were returning to Canberra. Most of the day was expected to be spent on tributes. Security around Parliament was to be bolstered during the week, and Labor planned to fast-track security upgrades from an ongoing review of politicians' safety. The issue was expected to reach a Monday morning cabinet meeting.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson rejected criticism that her party's cartoons contributed to a febrile environment. The cartoons depicted former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews being run over by Bluey, a character from a children's program, and suggested the same fate for Anthony Albanese. “The Please Explain cartoons have nothing to do with the tragic attack on Helen Haines. They will not be going anywhere,” Hanson said. Coalition foreign affairs spokesman Ted O'Brien called Hanson's cartoons showing figures including Andrews and senator Lidia Thorpe being run over “not timely.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said political violence seen elsewhere couldn't be assumed to stay elsewhere. Authorities were investigating the mental health and political views of alleged attacker Brendan Nugent, 43, as well as his relationship with his father and stepmother, who are friends with Haines. Barrett said the inquiry was examining reports of mental ill health and the “causes or issues that he has aligned himself with.”

Independent MLA Thomas Emerson said female colleagues experienced much more abuse, particularly online, than he and male colleagues did. Political leaders could do more to set an example, he said, and “rage gets clicks,” creating “perverse incentives” for politicians and people in the community. Lee said political leaders, media and large social media companies all had responsibility for shaping public debate. Nuttall said aggression and abuse shouldn't detrimentally affect her work: “The whole point of being a representative is to be as accessible as humanly possible.” The response described so far is institutional: police investigations, a pledge, and tighter security around Parliament.