It is being described as one of the darkest days in Australian political history. Federal Independent MP Helen Haines struck by a car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria, in what’s suspected to be a targeted attack.
TOM STEINFORT, HOST: The Joint Counter-Terrorism team is involved in this investigation now as she remains in a critical condition this morning after being airlifted to a Melbourne hospital. For more now, we are joined by the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. Prime Minister, thank you for your time. Can you bring us up to speed? Have you got any more information on Helen’s condition this morning?
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Helen remains in a critical condition. She was airlifted to Melbourne, and she underwent surgery last night. I spoke with her husband and passed on our very warm and best thoughts for Helen for a full recovery. But she remains in a critical condition. I think all Australians will be thinking of her today and her local community particularly will be quite distraught at this news of a terrible event occurring there in Wangaratta. Helen is much loved in that local community. She of course is loved by her family and her many friends as well. And they’ll be going through a difficult day today, thinking of Helen, praying for a full recovery.
JEFFREYS: And we add our own thoughts and sentiments to that. Our hearts go out to Helen this morning and to her family, her husband Phil and three children as well. A 43-year-old man has been arrested. There are reports this morning, Prime Minister, that he was on the radar prior to this incident. Are you able to confirm if he was known to authorities?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll allow the authorities to do their work, and they’ll make announcements based upon facts. There’s a lot of speculation at times like this. It’s important that they’re able to undertake their work. There is a man in custody. It is clear that this was a deliberate act because of the nature of what occurred. It’s got to be said here that at this dark and terrible time, an element of light is the fact that a Good Samaritan, someone rushed to Helen’s defence in Wangaratta, put themselves potentially at risk by doing so. And that person is a hero today. And I just think that he deserves enormous praise and thanks for his intervention which could have prevented even more further infliction of damage which was aimed at Helen. So, at the worst of times, we do see the best of the Australian character. And when it comes to the Australian character, there’s no one better than Helen Haines. She’s someone who was kind, caring, compassionate, absolutely passionate about representing that beautiful part of Victoria, making a difference in health and regional economic development and employment. She’s someone who’s very concerned about the state of Victoria and the world. She’s someone who’s very active representing her local community and respected right across the political spectrum for the way that she conducted herself in public life.
STEINFORT: I saw a great description of Helen Haines, that she was respected and respectful. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has confirmed there have been more than 1,000 threats to political figures in the last year. That’s up on the previous year. Is there a point now where you say we need to up security here because the threat is becoming so serious to Members of Parliament across the spectrum?
PRIME MINISTER: We take advice from the Australian Federal Police and the authorities. We know that there has been increased threats made to Members of Parliament – and we need to make sure, though, I think it’s very important in a democracy such as ours that we cherish the fact that people can get out and about at community events, go to their local shops, engage at the local footy or netball courts on the side, engage with people. That’s an important part of who we are as Australians. We value everyone equally. And whether you’re a Member of Parliament or Prime Minister, you can sit on the hill, in my case, at Henson Park and have a pie at halftime at the footy and people can come up and talk with you. That’s a good thing. We can’t afford to lose that. If we lose that, we lose something very important about who we are. But the truth is that there has been an escalation in conflict and in the way that discourse takes place. We all have a responsibility, as I’ve said multiple times for a number of years now, to turn the temperature down. We can disagree with each other but do it in a respectful way. And that’s something that Helen Haines always was characterised by, was that respect that she showed to others right across the political spectrum.
JEFFREYS: She has been universally praised this morning as someone who serves with integrity, respect, respect and devotion. She’s not by any stretch of the imagination a divisive political figure, but this gives us a sense of where we are at as a country. And indeed, there are calls this morning for this to be a turning point. Are you worried that the prevalence of personal attacks in Australian politics right now, what some are calling a race to the bottom is fuelling this rise in threats?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I am concerned about division in our society. What unites us is so much more important and so much more powerful than any divisions that we have. And people can have disagreements without calling into question their patriotism or their love for this country. And the way that politics is conducted, the way that it’s reported on, the way that we engage with each other, we all have a responsibility to turn the temperature down and to be able to engage respectfully. And, you know, I really don’t want to see the character of Australia change, but this is a challenge for us as a nation to make sure that we retain that sense of identity, that sense of belonging, that sense of unity as a country that is so important for us. And you can have a disagreement at the footy, people at a Grand Final cheering for Freo or cheering for the Lions, and when the game’s over, having a beer together and engaging in talking about the game. That’s who we are as Australians, and that’s an important part of our character.
STEINFORT: Absolutely. Well said. Unfortunately, we’re out of time, but appreciate your time on what must be a pretty confronting day for politicians, as I said, across the spectrum. Thank you for joining us on Today.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks so much.
