Helen Haines: Tears amid fears as Canberra pays tribute to maimed independent MP

Federal Parliament came to a standstill on Monday as members paid tribute to Helen Haines following an allegedly deliberate attack last week which has left her as a double leg amputee.

Victorian man Brendan Nugent, 43, allegedly mowed the Indi MP down with a four-wheel-drive on Monday afternoon while she was getting items from her car parked in front of her Wangaratta electorate office.

Politicians wore white and orange and donned sprigs of gypsophila, commonly known as baby’s breath, on their chests in honour of the Victorian MP as they voiced their well wishes for her recovery in a Melbourne hospital while an orange cockatoo, Dr Haines’ known campaign sign, occupied her seat in the chamber.

Anthony Albanese led the tributes in the House of Representatives, describing how the shock of last Monday’s incident had left “a stone in our hearts”.

“What brings it home today is, being back in this Chamber in what should have been any ordinary sitting day, looking over at the members for Indi’s seat over there and hoping,” the PM said.

“And looking forward to the day in which she’s back here representing the community that she loves.”

The PM had used his speech to reiterate his calls to turn the temperature of debate down, a message which had also been made by both ASIO boss Mike Burgess and AFP commissioner Krissy Barrett in the lead-up to the attack.

“We are seeing rage and aggression increasing, not just in politics, but towards workers in hospitality and retail, in schools and in hospitals, towards police, paramedics and other officials,” the PM told Parliament, insisting the country could no longer shrug it off.

“We are seeing a normalisation of the language of grievance and violence.

“We must not conflate the robustness of Australian democracy with this rising tide of rage.”

Opposition leader Angus Taylor told the parliament he and colleagues were praying for the Indi MP’s swift recovery after a “horrendous attack” which he labelled a “national tragedy”.

The Liberal leader credited her “intelligence, compassion and commitment”.

“While last Monday’s horrendous attack was a national tragedy, it is first and foremost a family’s tragedy,” Mr Taylor said.

“We’re thinking of course of Helen’s beloved husband Phil and their three cherished kids, Will, Nick and Georgia.”

However, Mr Taylor then pivoted his speech to unlink vicious debate and the violence, saying that he believed that robust parliament debate was important for democracy.

Mr Taylor also said he was open to working with the government on greater safety measures for parliamentarians and their staff.

“The antidote to violence is not to compromise our system of robust debate but to cherish, champion and strengthen that system,” he said.

It comes after calls for One Nation’s controversial “Please Explain” cartoon to be taken down after it depicted former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and Senator Linda Thorpe being run over.

Pauline Hanson doubled down on her refusal to remove or apologise for the cartoon episodes, which were published in 2023 and 2024, during a radio interview on 2GB on Monday.

“You should see the hatred coming out of her mouth,” Senator Hanson told 2GB, when talking about Senator Thorpe.

“So, don’t tell me about my cartoons. They’re satirical. And besides, that last episode happened years ago in the cartoon.”

Senator Hanson and colleague Barnaby Joyce have previously apologised for other cartoons released by the party, including one that labelled former soldier Andrew Hastie a “traitor”, and another that ridiculed Senator Jacqui Lambie for her battle with vaginal prolapse.

Greens leader David Shoebridge criticised Mr Taylor’s approach to use his tribute in the House to try to unpick political discourse from the alleged attack on Dr Haines, insisting it wasn’t a time to get political.

“I think there were elements of what Angus Tyler did that saw him use this as a political opportunity. And I’m deeply surprised at that. And I think it’s unfortunate that he chose to do that,” Senator Shoebridge said.

“For politicians at this point to be trying to craft a narrative out of the tragedy for Helen — I think he’s deeply deeply inappropriate and unfortunate.”

Nationals leader Matt Canavan, however, supported his Opposition leader by pushing back against suggestions that the attack marked a “turning point” on Australian political discourse.

“I don’t particularly think our political rhetoric is overly different from eras gone past,” he told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing.

Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie has urged fellow federal MPs to leave the “nasty personal politics of MAGA” in the United States while paying tribute to the Victorian independent member.

The former SAS soldier has recently revealed his children have been the subject of death threats and has warned online abuse could inspire violence against politicians.

Addressing parliament on Monday, the Canning MP declared last week’s attack on Dr Haines outside her electorate office must bring change.

“It’s a time for us to pause and ask: How can we do better? For me? How can I do better?,” Mr Hastie questioned in the House.

“I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve overreached in my language during my 11 years in this house, and we’ve all erred in this way at some time.

“It only takes one person with a twisted mind or a perverted sense of reality to strike out, to weaponise a car, a kitchen knife or a firearm, and to feel justified in doing so

“What we say here or online shapes the political culture. We can all do better and we should strive to do better. So, let’s play the ball, not the person, and leave the nasty personal politics of MAGA in the United States.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has joined several other MPs to raise concern about big tech platforms allowing hatred to spread in the wake of last Monday’s alleged attack on Dr Haines.

While politicians have cautioned against speculation on the motive while authorities continue their investigations, many have called for the temperature of debate to be turned down.

Dr Chalmers said while the investigation was underway, he believed a “pattern had formed even before the madness of last week”.

“There was an inevitability of this tragedy that makes it shocking but not surprising,” he said.

“Politics has taken a perilous turn. Public life is more dangerous now, the rhetoric is more violent, threats are more frequent.

“There’s more than one cause of this, but monetised violence online is not helping that.

“Algorithmic rage bait that’s all about preying on the nation’s challenges and not solving them.”

Several members referenced their growing concerns with gendered violence, and several women share their death and rape threats they have faced in office.

It included Independent MP for Calare Andrew Gee who noted the impact of the “online manosphere”.

Commissioner Barrett had on Sunday revealed the threats registered to her officers are often more personal and sexual in nature when directed at female elected members rather than men.

During her tribute to Dr Haines in the House, Housing Minister Clare O’Neil thanked political staffers and shared how her staff had shielded her from abuse, death and rape threats during her time as the Hotham MP.

She labelled staffers as “the best and most loyal servants of our democracy”.

“The things that my staff — the things they have to do to protect me,” Ms O’Neil said.

“The abusive phone calls. They need to deal with the people who trawl through my social media. Trying to find the the difference between a vitriolic message and something that’s got a death threat or a rape threat that needs to be reported.

“I say to every staffer — if you’re a ministerial staffer, a shadow ministerial staffer, working on the front line of an electorate office — we thank you.

“We acknowledge the deep difficulty of the work that you are having to do.”

Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek says she had had sleepless nights worrying about the “ugly, dangerous” new era Australia is facing in the wake of the attack.

“It does keep me up at night thinking that we might be entering a political era in which representatives feel afraid to be fully and properly available to the communities that they serve,” Ms Plibersek told Parliament.

“Violence is the antithesis of democracy. It’s an ugly, dangerous dead end.”

The message came after Victorian Independent MP Monique Ryan issued an emotional tribute to her close friend, telling Parliament: “God gives his hardest battles to the strongest soldiers.”

“While we await her return, we can improve mental health services in the regions, we can put government funding where the need is highest,” Ms Ryan said.

Fellow independent Allegra Spender also used Monday’s session to share Dr Haines’ first words to her husband Phil after she woke up in hospital.

“Phil told us about your first words since when you woke up after the attack, and said that your first concerns when you awoke were for your staff and gratitude to the first responders, nurses and bystanders,” the fellow crossbencher said.

“That exactly speaks to the character of who you are.

“People have spoken about your empathy and grace, and they deserve recognition.

“But I think it paints a sort of picture of you as a sort of benign force wandering through the parliament.

“What I will say is that you are also a force for change.”

Fellow Independent MP Zali Steggall said she looked forward to seeing her friend return and “getting on with the job”.

“Let light win over darkness,” the New South Wales Teal MP told the House of Representatives.

A donation page in the name Dr Haines after she was allegedly mowed down in a deliberate attack last Monday has raised almost $1.3 million.

Dr Haines’ husband Phil had last week thanked the community for their flowers, gifts and cards left at her Wangaratta electorate office but urged people who wanted to offer support to donate to Save the Children.

As of Monday morning, the fundraising page in her name had received $1,291,267 in donations and hundreds of messages of support.

While Dr Haines recovers in hospital, the flowers placed outside her office will be dried and the cards collected so she can view them when she’s recovered.

“The appreciation you showed to those helping you in such a terrifying time, shows the beauty within you,” one person wrote.