00:01There's been a real outpouring of support from politicians right across the political
00:06spectrum for Helen Haynes today.
00:10She's well-regarded and highly respected by politicians from all quarters.
00:15She's been a member of parliament since 2019, so many MPs in this building, who serve in
00:20this building, know her, and today many have expressed shock over this incident.
00:25And as you say, this has really brought to the fore concerns that authorities have had
00:30for some time now over the safety and security of MPs.
00:33We've heard today concerns from MPs about the climate and the state of the political environment
00:39here in Australia.
00:41For example, the finance minister, Katie Gallagher, she says the political environment is febrile.
00:47She's never seen it this bad.
00:48We heard from the social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, and she says that threats of
00:53violence have gone through the roof during her time as an MP overnight.
00:59And again today, we've heard from the prime minister that he wants the political discourse
01:03in Australia to cool, he wants to bring the temperature down, and he says he doesn't want
01:08acts of violence to be normalised.
01:10Indeed, that's a sentiment very much shared by the opposition leader, Angus Taylor as well.
01:15Take a listen.
01:17We've seen, I think, political discourse go in the wrong direction in recent times, and
01:26I want us to acknowledge in the way that politics is conducted that what unites us is far more
01:36than any divisions that are there and any disagreements which are there as well.
01:43And this is a test of our character.
01:47I want Australian democracy to continue to be strong and continue to be accountable.
01:53Australians will be rightly angry and appalled by what we have seen yesterday.
02:00And whilst we shouldn't speculate at this point on the motives, much remains to be seen.
02:07Can I say that no act of violence or political violence is acceptable in this country?
02:14So could this lead to a change in security for MPs, Jack?
02:19Well, no doubt, Rollers, this will be a question that many will be thinking about in the coming days.
02:24We know that for some time now, the Australian Federal Police have been raising concerns about
02:29the rising number of threats directed towards elected representatives, their staff and indeed
02:35their families.
02:36The latest figures from the Australian Federal Police show that in the last financial year,
02:41they recorded 1,067 reports of threatening, harassing, nuisance or offensive behaviour directed
02:48towards parliamentarians, high office holders and protected spaces.
02:53And to put some context around that, that's up 12% from the year before.
02:57And it's almost double what it was just five years ago in the 2021-22 financial year.
03:04Now, we've also heard from the ASIO Director General, Mike Burgess, today.
03:08He says that while the terror threat level remains probable, the temperature and trajectory of
03:13the security environment is concerning.
03:15He says, and I quote, while political differences, debates and peaceful protests are essential parts
03:22of a healthy democracy, ASIO has seen direct correlations between inflamed language, inflamed
03:28tensions and acts of violence.
03:30Now, in the last hour or so, the Prime Minister has held a briefing with security authorities in
03:36Victoria.
03:37That briefing involved the Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, as well as the AFP Commissioner,
03:42Chrissie Barrett, the Victorian Police Commissioner, as well as the Victorian Premier, Ben Carroll.
03:48But no doubt we'll hear more in the coming weeks about what this incident will mean when
03:53it comes to the security of MPs.
03:55In the meantime, many MPs are thinking about their colleague, Helen Haynes, who remains
04:01in a critical condition in hospital roles.
