I have known Dr Helen Haines, my local member for Indi, for some time. So perhaps readers will understand why the events of the past few days have left me both deeply distressed and angry.
Helen has lost both her legs after being struck by a vehicle outside her electorate office in Wangaratta. The man accused of the attack has been charged, and it will be for the courts to determine the appropriate legal findings. But we do not need to wait for a court to understand the enormity of what has happened to Helen, her family and the community she represents.
You might therefore expect our politicians to exercise a little restraint. You might hope that, for once, the immediate response to a terrible human tragedy would be compassion rather than an opportunity to score political points.
Apparently, that is asking too much.
Pauline Hanson has chosen this moment to demand answers from the Prime Minister over reports that some weeks ago a “dirt sheet” on Helen was circulated by his office to selected journalists. That allegation should be examined on its merits. If a government office has engaged in inappropriate political briefing, the public is entitled to answers.
But there is a difference between legitimate scrutiny and exploiting a tragedy to advance a political argument.
I have worked for three federal governments. I know that governments maintain records. They collect information, prepare briefs and document the activities of elected representatives. The existence of a document is not, in itself, evidence of wrongdoing. What matters is its content, its purpose, who authorised its preparation and how it was used.
Those are questions that can be investigated without turning Helen’s suffering into a weapon in the continuing battle between political opponents.
What particularly troubles me is the timing and the apparent direction of this intervention. Rather than allowing attention to remain on Helen, her recovery and the people who love her, the public conversation is being drawn towards Anthony Albanese and an alleged document.
The effect is to redirect anger. Whether that was the intention cannot be established simply by looking at the headlines, but the political consequences are obvious enough.
And that is what I find so distasteful.
Helen Haines is an independent member of parliament. She does not belong to the Labor Party, and she has not always agreed with the government. Her job is to represent the people of Indi, to scrutinise decisions and to advocate for her electorate. That is precisely what an independent member is supposed to do.
She is also a human being who has suffered an appalling injury.
Political differences do not disappear because somebody has been hurt. Nor should legitimate questions about government conduct be suppressed. But surely there is room in public life for a sense of proportion, for compassion, and for an understanding that not every event needs to become another front in a political war.
I do not know whether Pauline Hanson and Helen have ever found much common ground politically. Their public positions are certainly very different. But that should be irrelevant. Decency should not depend on whether we agree with the person who has suffered.
And neither should the public’s sympathy be conditional on which political party might benefit from it.
I am angry because I know Helen. I am angry because this is a terrible thing to have happened to someone who has devoted herself to public service. And I am angry because, at a time when our political culture desperately needs a little more humanity, we seem unable to resist the temptation to turn even this into a contest over who can inflict the greatest damage on an opponent.
There will be time to examine the alleged document. There will be time to question the Prime Minister, investigate the circumstances and establish whether anyone has behaved improperly.
But Helen’s suffering should not be reduced to a political opportunity.
For once, can we put the point-scoring aside?
A woman has been gravely injured. A family is facing a life-changing tragedy. A community is hurting.
That should be enough to remind us that politics, for all its importance, is not an excuse to abandon our humanity.
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Thanks Michael,
my wife and I were talking about this last night and came to the same conclusions as you.
Unfortunately Hanson is a grievance stirrer, not a politician in the conventional sense of the word.
She doesn’t give a tinkers cuss about Dr. Haines or her family and friends – or any other politician for that matter. Just look at her obscene response to the video about Jacqui Lambie’s health issue.
“A nasty piece of work” doesn’t sum her up..
Only ONP have stopped this low. The rest of our political spectrum have understand how inappropriate this is and have thankfully restrained themselves. Hanson and her mob, on the other hand, just can’t help themselves. Hopefully a lot of the people who were considering voting for them will find this as on the nose as we do.
Every time I start to read anything about Hellen, what has happened to her, I start crying. This has been one of the most distressing political events of my life. It seems there is a growth in the number of people with sick minds.
I think it’s important in this context to note not only what was said about the attack, but who said it.
“…. at a time when our political culture desperately needs a little more humanity, we seem unable to resist the temptation to turn even this into a contest over who can inflict the greatest damage on an opponent.”
This broadly targeted comment mentioning “we” is certainly apposite, but let us not ignore the fact that the first and so far only MP to jump on the partisan blame bandwagon is – needless to say – the Queen of Grandstanding and walking policy vacuum, Pauline Hanson!
It needs to be made VERY clear that her interests lie solely in the perpetuation of her “nice little earner” of a job – backed, of course, by Gina Rinehart.
Hanson is a stain on Australian politics long overdue for being shoved into the washing machine.
@ Denis Hay; “…This has been one of the most distressing political events of my life. ..”
Denis I share in your expression of grief however there are 2 points of extreme distress here – the dreadful crime committed purposefully on an unprotected Dr Haines AND the following opportunistic bandwagoning by a media supported Pauline Hanson.
I have no intent to further publicly describe my distress for the victim of this deliberate and despicable crime but I am extremely distressed that our political system is at such a low standard that Hanson’s allegation, true or not, is now the focus of the electorate’s attention. Obviously that allegation must be tested however the media will focus on that rather than focus the citizens attention of Dr Haines plight.
For me, the perpetrator of this tragedy is nameless and beyond any expression of compassion or sympathy.
I blame the utter trash of the Murdoch media,they have been at this low life, contemptible public outrage baiting for decades, and until they are rendered non existent, it will continue.
It’s way past time for a serious judicial inquiry into our execrable, propagandist and dishonest media.
Politicians, in general have to stop kissing Murdoch’s arse, and start kicking it instead,hard and often.
Sadly, Michael I 110% agree with your sympathies. As a staunch supporter of Independent candidates for over 50 years, this atrocity can be correctly sheeted home to the Murdoch Media Manipulation Monopoly, the mindless nagging of the untalented and current corrupt leader of the Opposition Anus Faylure et al, plus of course, the dictatorial misleader of the PHONys (Profiting Hanson Only Naturally you see) corporation for exploiting Parliamentary expenses and legally abusing parliamentary privileges.
I post the following links to David Tyler’s excellent history of Pawlein in politics for too long.
1) https://theaimn.net/nobody-planted-pauline/
2) https://theaimn.net/one-nation-three-shareholders/
Independents get things done for their communities
What do PHONeys & NOtional$ do??
Anyone with a modicum of ethics feels your pain, Michael.
If this occurrence shows anything at all, it shows the many low rents who are occupying Governments benches for the past 20+ years and the fact that Howard set that benchmark. Remember he was slinking around Parliament from 1974 onwards.
A complete opportunist who was provocative, blunt and difficult.
Now for some poetry from a Bush Poet, maybe he’s done something similar with Australian Politics, and maybe he can be added to the talented stable here at AIM….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJpwx_hoUCk
And, while we are at it, this needs to be taken into account as well….
https://theshot.net.au/news/opinion-news/the-violence-we-still-refuse-to-name/