Australia’s parliament resumed with increased security on Monday and paid tribute to lawmaker Helen Haines who was critically injured last week in an alleged act of political violence.
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who → resume → violence
Security screening measures were enhanced at parliament house in the first session since 19 Oct when authorities allege a driver rammed an SUV into Ms Haines twice outside her electorate office.
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driver → enhance → office
She remained in a Melbourne hospital on Monday in a serious but stable condition after both her legs were amputated.
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legs → remain → condition
A 43-year-old man has been charged with offences including intentionally causing serious injury.
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man → charge → injury
Police have not revealed a motive.
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Police → reveal → motive
Prime minister Anthony Albanese was the first of several lawmakers to pay tribute to Ms Haines, a respected independent.
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Albanese → pay → Haines
He proposed a motion expressing parliament’s wish for her recovery and support for her family.
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He → propose → family
Her husband Phil Haines looked on from parliament’s public gallery.
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husband → look → gallery
“While the investigations go on, we must not rush to conclusions.
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we → go → conclusions
But nor can we shrug off the very real rise in anger that distorts and corrodes our public discourse,” Mr Albanese told parliament.
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Albanese → shrug → parliament
“Enabled by the anonymity and speed afforded by social media, we are seeing rage and aggression increasing, not just in politics, but toward workers in hospitality, in retail, in schools and in hospitals, toward police, paramedics and other officials,” Mr Albanese added.
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Albanese → enable → police
Mr Albanese described a “normalisation of the language of grievance and violence”.
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Albanese → describe → grievance
“We must not conflate the robustness of Australian democracy with this rising tide of rage,” Mr Albanese said.
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Albanese → conflate → rage
Australian Federal Police commissioner Krissy Barrett told Australian Broadcasting Corp on Sunday threats against lawmakers were evenly spread between male and female politicians.
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threats → tell → politicians
Ms Barrett said there was a “direct correlation” between the language political rivals use against each other and threats and abuse directed at lawmakers from the public.
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rivals → say → public
Critics of Australian politics often complain that language that lawmakers sometimes use against each other would not be tolerated in any other workplace in the country.
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lawmakers → complain → country
Opposition leader Angus Taylor told parliament he disagreed with those who saw a “casual connection between robust parliamentary debate and political violence.”
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who → tell → debate
“We never allow that vigorous parliamentary debate to spill over into violence,” Mr Taylor said.
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Taylor → allow → violence
Speaker Milton Dick noted that some lawmakers had suggested colleagues sign a so-called civility pledge in response to the alleged attack on Haines.
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colleagues → note → Haines
“This is a personal decision and I encourage all Members (of Parliament) to continue these discussions to decide the best way for themselves” to respond, Mr Dick told parliament.
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Dick → encourage → parliament
Two months ago, Ms Haines became the first Australian lawmaker to make such a pledge, advocated by the think tank Compassion in Politics Australia.
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Haines → become → Politics
Around six federal and state lawmakers have since committed to sign.
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lawmakers → commit → ?
Independent lawmaker Kate Chaney said she intended to follow Ms Haines’ example by making such a pledge.
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she → say → pledge
“I think there’s something really symbolic about the fact that Helen was the only federal M.P. (Member of Parliament) to have signed this,” Chaney told the ABC.
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Chaney → think → ABC
It just says ‘in my political life, I pledge to act with honesty, respect and compassion.’
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I → say → honesty
And that feels to me like a simple and poignant way to honour the contribution Helen’s made to the parliament,” Ms Chaney added.
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Chaney → feel → parliament
Compassion in Politics Australia did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
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Compassion → respond → comment
The Aporia
