The politician who polarised voters was out for his morning holiday walk, maintaining a brisk pace, acknowledging the many who recognised him with his trademark booming voice advising them to, “stay well”.
asserted
who → polarise → them
It was Port Douglas, and the man striding along Four Mile Beach heading to busy Macrossan Street for a morning coffee was Victorian premier Jeff Kennett.
asserted
man → stride → coffee
Kennett was relaxed enough not to feel the need to have a security contingent with him.
asserted
contingent → feel → him
Ted Baillieu was a different style premier, but he also didn’t need protection during his regular swims at Glenferrie pool.
asserted
he → need → pool
Fellow swimmers respected his privacy and wouldn’t intrude with political questions.
After former prime minister John Howard delivered the keynote speech at an innovation conference in the Hunter Valley he was happy to jump on the bus, grabbing any seat with his fellow guests to head back to the accommodation.
asserted
he → respect → accommodation
That was all in the age of civil political debate – now replaced by mindless vitriol.
asserted
That → replace → vitriol
Today political signs are defaced, open town hall meetings are too dangerous and electoral offices are vandalised.
asserted
offices → deface → ?
The heat brings fire, so much so that the director of ASIO, Mike Burgess, is calling for the temperature to be dialled back.
asserted
temperature → bring → ASIO
Indi MP Helen Haines was old school – respected on all sides, there to help constituents, not just those who voted for her.
asserted
who → help → her
Perhaps because she isn’t a career politician she doesn’t think parliamentary debates are bare-knuckle blame games where shouting beats listening.
asserted
shouting → think → listening
On August 25, she was at a special service at the Wangaratta Police Station opening a memorial garden to Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, who were gunned down at Porepunkah a year earlier.
asserted
who → open → Porepunkah
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush made special mention at a press conference on Wednesday of the “very strong and visible support” Haines had been for local police and the community following the incident.
asserted
Haines → make → incident
The offender in that case, Desmond Freeman, was on March 30 shot dead by Special Operations Group police after being on the run for eight months.
asserted
offender → shoot → months
Freeman, a sovereign citizen, was protected by a ragtag group of associates and conspiracy theorists who saw him as a victim.
asserted
who → protect → victim
At the memorial service Haines, nurse and medical researcher turned politician, sat silently in support, representing her community.
asserted
Haines → turn → community
She could not know that within two months she too would become the victim of irrational, unprovoked violence.
uncertain
she → know → violence
This week she was back in her local office, four minutes by car from the police station, supporting the community.
asserted
she → support → community
When she returned to her Murphy Street office from an event in Mansfield, police allege Brendan Nugent performed a U-turn in his Toyota LandCruiser and deliberately rammed her multiple times leaving her with critical injuries.
asserted
Nugent → return → injuries
It has always been known as a plum job in policing, with a low crime rate, caring community and relaxed lifestyle.
asserted
It → know → rate
I’ve known five hard-nosed city detectives who transferred there over the years.
asserted
who → know → years
All stayed in the district after retirement.
asserted
All → stay → retirement
Two have had their funerals there.
asserted
Two → have → funerals
My father was stationed there back in the 1950s and in that time caught more fish than crooks.
asserted
father → station → crooks
One of the locals who brought down the alleged offender, barber Ricky Jefferies reflected, “This is a beautiful town with beautiful people, and it’s sad that this is what has brought all the people here.”
asserted
what → bring → people
What drew him to Murphy Street on Monday, and his previous interaction with Haines, are now central to the police investigation.
asserted
drew → draw → investigation
Detectives will check his phone, internet records, medical history and interview friends and family.
asserted
Detectives → check → friends
They will look at social connections between the alleged offender’s family and the victim.
asserted
They → look → family
Crash investigators will reconstruct the movements of the LandCruiser, calibrate the driver’s mobile phone, discover if it had been parked nearby and establish how many times Haines was hit.
asserted
Haines → reconstruct → phone
The irony here is while those in authority are calling for a return to civilised debate there are those using the attack on Haines as a bludgeon to go after perceived enemies.
asserted
those → call → enemies
Others are enthusiastically embracing conspiracy theories, which is one of the reasons we are in this mess in the first place.
asserted
we → embrace → place
This is not about a political point of view, but how a decent person trying to make her world a better place has suffered life-altering injuries.
asserted
world → try → injuries
It is about why some people need to cut others down – either physically or verbally.
asserted
people → need → others
The various authorities have made it clear this was an attack by one alleged offender.
asserted
this → make → offender
These are the hardest type to anticipate because there are no co-conspirators or internet chatter to intercept.
asserted
These → anticipate → ?
Which is why, in 2018, police established the Victorian Fixated Threat Assessment Centre to deal with those obsessed with public figures or institutions.
asserted
police → establish → figures
The technical term is “one actor grievance-fuelled violence” or (LAGFV).
asserted
term → fuel → ?
There are those who blame an individual – usually someone in public office, such as a politician or judge – for their problems.
asserted
who → be → problems
Others hate institutions, such as the police, courts, a company or an industry.
asserted
Others → hate → police
The aim of the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre is to get ahead of the game – by identifying the obsessed with the potential to become violent.
asserted
aim → get → potential
The plan is to use doctors, forensic medical experts and police to make sure the fixated can be helped before there is a crime.
asserted
fixated → use → doctors
…and 20 more, not listed.
The Aporia
