Helen Haines attack, politics live: MP’s chief of staff Kaz Rourke speaks on behalf of ‘devastated’ team

Former WA opposition leader Mia Davies says she worries for women entering politics and hopes the abuse they face doesn’t deter them from public life.

Ms Davies, who more recently was a candidate in the Federal seat of Bullwinkel, said on reflection of her time in State parliament as a Nationals member she “tolerated too much”.

She said success in politics shouldn’t be based on how much someone was able to endure abuse.

“Reflecting back, I tolerated too much. In the early days I was reluctant to block people online or call out bad behaviour, worried it would be seen as avoiding criticism,” she said.

“I got better at it - but as a younger woman I absolutely felt the pressure to prove I was ‘tough enough’ for the job.

“I’m not asking Australians to stop criticising politicians. Robust debate and holding elected representatives to account are fundamental to democracy.

“But we’ve allowed legitimate criticism to become confused with a sense of entitlement to intimidate, threaten and personally abuse.

“I worry about what that means for the next generation of women and men considering public life.

“What are we asking them to accept? How many capable, thoughtful people are already deciding that the personal cost isn’t worth it?

“We shouldn’t endorse a system where those who succeed are those most prepared to endure the abuse.”

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Michaelia Cash has accused Anthony Albanese as being the “most divisive prime minister” in the wake of the alleged attack on Helen Haines.

“Albo, you can’t lecture Australians about ‘turning the temperature down’ when your office is running dirt sheets against those who criticised your dodgy Marrickville Golf Club grant,” she posted on social media on Thursday.

Senator Cash had also raised the document, which the Prime Minister’s office distributed to journalists just weeks before she was struck by a car on Monday, earlier told News24.

“Anthony is the most divisive prime minister our country has ever seen,” Senator Cash had said.

“You have had a complete breakdown in social cohesion, and division under his leadership.

“On Monday night, he stood up and he talked about Helen’s integrity - as he should have.

“But… just a few weeks ago, his office he’s shopping around a dirt sheet on Helen, deliberately undermining her integrity.

“Why? Because she raised serious issues, which the Prime Minister quite frankly has still not answered well.”

WA Labor Minister Hannah Beazley has issued a new statement after Bentley man John Lawrence Smart, 56, allegedly entered her Victoria Park office armed with nunchuks just after 1pm on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday labelled it a “real concern” in the wake of an attack on independent MP Helen Haines.

“Thank you to everyone who reached out and checked in on my staff and 1 after yesterday’s incident at my Electorate Office,” she said in a post to social media.

“It was a confronting situation for my two staff members who were present at the time, and I thank the police officers who attended for their quick response and action taken to take the person into custody.

“My staff did an amazing job and did everything right - providing information WA Police needed quickly.

“This is now a matter before the courts, so I won’t comment on the specifics of the incident any further.

“As the Member for Victoria Park I love spending every day working for and representing local residents, and this won’t change that.

“Thank you all for your ongoing support of my team.”

Brightly coloured bouquets and adoring messages have piled up outside independent MP Helen Haines’ Wangaratta electorate office after she lost both legs in an allegedly targeted attack.

The Indi MP had been at the boot of her car just metres away on Monday afternoon when a car driven by Brendan Nugent, 43, allegedly rammed her twice.

While her family and staff have welcomed the floral carpet on Murphy Street, they have requested that people instead donate to Save the Children Australia.

Chief executive officer Mat Tinkler on Thursday said the extra money being raised in Dr Haines’s name had reached more than $400,000 and will help the organisation support children.

“We’re so humbled by this act of generosity,” he said.

“It’s been a privilege to get to know Helen, share some of our work with her.

“At Save the Children, we’re deeply moved that, at such a difficult time, Helen and her family are thinking of children who need our support.

“It speaks volumes about their kindness, compassion and generosity.

“Every dollar raised here will be spent on children who are vulnerable living in communities in the regions, on things that are close to Helen’s heart.

“These additional donations that are being made today will absolutely allow us to reach more vulnerable children in really difficult places.

“It’ll make a huge difference to our work and our teams on the ground.”

If you would like to show your support for Helen, you can donate at www.savethechildrenfundraising.org.au/helenhaines

The staff of attacked Australian politician Helen Haines say they’re praying for the Indi MP and have thanked their community for support.

Several of the independent MP’s team were inside her Wangaratta electoral office when she was struck by a car while getting items out of her boot on Monday afternoon.

Chief of staff Kaz Rourke posted a statement to Dr Haines social media on Thursday, saying their hearts were with the Indi MP, her husband Phil, their children and family.

“Our team is devastated by the attack on Helen Haines this week,” she said.

“Helen is adored by her team. She is a remarkable leader, a truly wonderful boss and someone we all care about deeply.

“Most of us were in the office when the incident occurred and some of us were involved in Helen’s immediate care, so this has been deeply traumatic for the team.

“We are receiving a great deal of support and my priority right now is making sure Helen’s staff are as okay as they can be.

“I’m so very proud of them and know Helen would be too. It is important to us to keep doing our jobs, for Helen and for the people of Indi.

“That looks a little different right now. The office remains closed to the public, but our team is working in the background and planning towards reopening later next week.”

The international community has responded to an alleged targeted attack on Australian MP Helen Haines, which resulted in the amputation of both her legs.

The ramming attack by accused driver Brendan Nugent, 43, has been covered across main outlets, including the New York Times, United Kingdom’s BBC and middle east global service Al Jazeera.

Brendan Cox, the widower of murdered UK Labour MP Jo Cox, spoke with The Nightly about Dr Haine’s attack and overnight penned an opinion piece in The Guardian.

He said the pain Dr Haine’s family would be going through while she fights for her life in hospital would be “completely similar” to when his wife was attacked in 2016.

In his opinion piece he described how his phone had lit up with messages this week after Dr Haines attack, similar to when he received a “barrage of messages” after former conservative UK MP Ann Widdecombe was killed earlier this year.

“As I read the news about the alleged attack on Australian MP Helen Haines, the dread I felt was followed by what I can best describe as a punch to the gut. A wave of shock. Deep sorrow. The despair that another elected representative had been so brutally injured,” he penned.

He told The Nightly: “It is completely similar to Jo. It wasn’t the corridors of power; it was back in the constituency, in your home, where you feel safe, and you should be able to feel safe meeting with constituents”.

United Kingdom House of Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle has been among international politicians from around the world to express sympathies to the independent member for Indi.

In an address to the House this week, Mr Hoyle said he had written to Australian House of Representatives speaker Milton Dick about the shocking incident.

“Before we begin, I know the thoughts of the house today will be with Helen Haines. The safety and security of elected officials is crucial and must remain a focus for us all.”

New Zealand foreign affairs minister Winston Peters also expressed his sadness earlier this week, saying across the ditch his country was shocked by the incident.

“Violence has absolutely no place in politics,” he posted to social media and sent his best wishes to her and her family.

The Prime Minister says a man entering WA Labor Minister Hannah Beazley’s office with a weapon as a “real concern” in the wake of an attack on independent MP Helen Haines.

Speaking on Perth radio stations on Thursday, Anthony Albanese expressed concern over Bentley man John Lawrence Smart, 56, allegedly entering Ms Beazley’s Victoria Park office armed with nunchuks just after 1pm on Wednesday.

Mr Smart has been refused bail after being charged with being armed in a way that may cause fear, making a threat to unlawfully do an act and possessing cannabis.

He is due to face court on Thursday.

Mr Albanese labelled Ms Beazley, who is the daughter of former Federal Labor leader Kim Beazley, a “friend” and shared concern for the “far too prevalent” threats to politicians and their staff.

“There was an incident I note there in Perth outside Hannah Beazley’s office yesterday.

That is of real concern,” Mr Albanese said.

“Hannah, a friend of mine. Hannah, of course, is very well known to me through my friendship with Kim, her dad, of course, a great Australian and former Labor Leader and Governor.

“Hannah has carried on that tradition in such a strong way. And the fact that you had this incident so soon after the tragedy that occurred with Helen Haines in Wangaratta on Monday is just heartbreaking.

“It’s been an awful week. This is far too prevalent. It’s not who we are as Australians. We can have our discussions and debates and settle those issues at the ballot box.”

Greens leader David Shoebridge has sought to remind Australians that the allegedly targeted attack on independent MP Helen Haines was an act of gendered violence.

“I do want to also stress that this was an attack by a man against a woman, and I think we should recognise the nature of that violence across the society,” he said.

It’s a point that the online community has relentlessly called out after Monday’s attack shocked the nation, with Anthony Albanese’s latest social media post flooded with comments pointing out the gendered nature of it.

One user attracted more than 100 likes in minutes after writing that it was “male violence against women” and questioning “can we, for the love of God, highlight that this is gendered violence?”.

Others posted statements such as “It’s not just political Albo, it’s male violence towards women” and “How many more women need to be harmed or killed for y’all to do something REAL about this?”

Another commenter wrote, “I completely agree that political violence is getting worse. At the same time, we need to make sure we are properly addressing the role of mental health support and tackling violence against women with the same urgency”.

In the wake of the attack on Helen Haines, Greens leader David Shoebridge admits that, while he’s not always perfect on political discourse, Australian parliamentarians need to be responsible.

“I think politicians need to be responsible for what they do,” he told News24 on Thursday.

“And any politician who goes out of their way to mock, humiliate, or dehumanise, I think should absolutely have a good hard look at themselves.

“One of the things I try to do, I can’t say I’m always perfect, is to be true to principles of peace and non-violence in the language that we use, and how we communicate matters.

“I also think that there’s this deep distrust with politics at the moment, and this deep distrust and increasing division between particularly marginalised people in society and politicians.”

Senator Shoebridge also raised concerns about Labor’s “dirt sheet” which Anthony Albanese’s office distributed on Helen Haines in the weeks prior to the attack.

“In terms of a dirt sheet against Helen Haines, that seems a pretty hard action to be taking and I think there are definitely answers that need to be made in relation to that,” he said.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor has rejected a suggestion from one of his Coalition members that parliament Question Time should be scrapped or radically changed.

Question Time is held at 2pm each Canberra sitting day can be a rowdy affair, in part driven because it is usually the only televised moment of parliament which politicians capitalise on.

In the wake of the attack on Helen Haines outside her office, Nationals MP and Opposition Assistant Minister for Social Services Pat Conaghan called for change.

“I’d like to get rid of Question Time. Or, if we can’t, then get people sitting in different areas - not in blocks,” Mr Conaghan has said this week.

“I feel like it’s actually an embarrassment, Question Time, and it’s designed to raise the temperature.”

While they hadn’t called for it to be entirely scrapped, Curtin MP Kate Chaney echoed his sentiment to say it was “embarrassing” how politicians behaved and ACT senator David Pocock labelled Question Time a “disgrace”

Mr Taylor, however, said it was important for the democratic principles of Australia’s political system.

“Look, you know, we need vigorous and rigorous debate in this country because our system is necessarily adversarial, but it should never, ever cross the line to physical intimidation or violence. Never. Never,” he said.

“We need that vigorous and rigorous debate, which has characterised our democracy since it was formed.

“Our democracy was built on the Westminster system, which requires and needs vigorous and rigorous debate, but it should never cross the line, and what we saw, of course, in Wangaratta a few days ago was a serious and terrible crossing of the line.”