For years, we have watched political violence and intimidation become an increasingly disturbing feature of democracies overseas, perhaps believing that Australia was different.
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Australia → watch → democracies
The alleged attack on independent member for Indi Dr Helen Haines has forced us to confront how naive that assumption may have been.
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assumption → allege → us
I left politics earlier this year after 14 years in the South Australian parliament, the last three as deputy premier to Peter Malinauskas.
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I → leave → Malinauskas
I held major portfolios, made difficult decisions that affected thousands of Australians and experienced firsthand the relentless scrutiny that comes with public office.
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that → hold → office
I know how demanding political life can be, and how seriously the overwhelming majority of politicians take their responsibilities.
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majority → know → responsibilities
But no amount of experience prepares you for the possibility that simply doing your job could put your safety at risk.
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doing → prepare → risk
What has happened to Helen is devastating.
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happened → happen → Helen
It should also make us think deeply about the environment in which we expect our elected representatives to work, and what that means for people who might consider entering politics.
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who → make → politics
The findings of the 2026 McKinnon Index give us further reason for concern.
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findings → give → concern
More than one in four young Australian men aged 18 to 24 now believe violence can sometimes be justified to advance a cause they care about.
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they → believe → cause
The index also found that almost three-quarters of Australians believe the country has become more divided, while just 35.5 per cent consider our political debate healthy and respectful.
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debate → find → Australians
Confidence that people can freely express their political opinions has fallen by almost 10 percentage points in a year.
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people → express → year
We should be concerned about what this means for our democracy, particularly if capable Australians look at the abuse and intimidation directed towards politicians and decide public life is simply not worth it.
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life → mean → politicians
More than three-quarters of Australians still believe democracy is preferable to any other system of government, and more than 80 per cent believe protecting it should be a priority.
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protecting → believe → it
That tells us Australians have not lost faith in democracy.
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Australians → tell → democracy
But that faith needs to be matched by a serious commitment to the people we entrust with leading our country.
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we → need → country
In every other field where the stakes are high, from running a major company to leading a government department, we invest in developing people’s professional capacity.
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we → run → capacity
We should bring the same expectation to supporting the people who lead our governments with quality professional development.
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who → bring → development
McKinnon’s leadership programs bring politicians from across the political spectrum together to develop the skills they need to govern well.
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they → bring → skills
There is a certain magic when political opponents sit in the same room and learn alongside each other.
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opponents → be → other
In South Australia, our programs brought together members on opposing sides of a challenging conscience issue, giving them the opportunity to recognise each other’s decency and professionalism.
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programs → bring → decency
The mutual respect they developed could help make future debate more civil, recognising that people of different views can be equally well intentioned.
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people → develop → views
That experience feels particularly important now.
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experience → feel → ?
We do not want politicians to agree on everything.
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politicians → want → everything
But we should expect them to be able to disagree without losing respect for each other, just as Australians should be able to challenge their elected representatives without resorting to threats or intimidation.
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Australians → expect → threats
We are also looking further ahead.
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We → look → ?
Our Next Horizon program is building a pipeline of talented Australians who might otherwise never have considered a parliamentary career, giving them the confidence to step into public life.
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who → build → life
We cannot afford a political culture that discourages good people from serving their communities.
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that → afford → communities
Politicians should always be scrutinised and held to account because scrutiny is how democracy corrects itself.
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democracy → scrutinise → itself
The index tells us that Australians still believe in our stable democracy, even as they become less satisfied with the way politics operates.
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politics → tell → way
The alleged attack on Helen Haines has reminded us of something far more fundamental than the frustrations of everyday politics.
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attack → remind → politics
Our democracy depends on capable people being willing to put themselves forward to serve, and we have a responsibility to ensure they can do so safely.
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they → depend → responsibility
If we want better politics, we need to invest in the people who practise it and encourage the next generation to put their hands up.
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who → want → hands
That is not asking Australians to expect less of their politicians.
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That → ask → politicians
It is giving them a better chance of meeting the expectations we rightly place upon them.
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we → give → them
This article is part of a content partnership with McKinnon, an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit that focuses on the importance of democracy and good government.
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that → focus → democracy
The Aporia
