Journalist Laurie Oakes famously said of John Howard that he had made many mistakes but only made them once.
asserted
he → say → them
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would be wise to recall that lesson as he navigates the fallout from the attack on Helen Haines.
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he → recall → Haines
After the December 2025 Bondi Beach shootings, conservative critics argued Labor pivoted too quickly to gun control while downplaying the attackers’ fundamentalist ideology.
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Labor → argue → ideology
The gun buyback, supported by no state outside of NSW, has faltered.
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buyback → support → NSW
Wading through the confusing set of factors that may have led to the Haines incident, Albanese has put the spotlight on the modern media.
uncertain
Albanese → wad → media
“The headlines that are generated are aimed at getting clicks and therefore more dramatic than is necessary,” Albanese said on Melbourne radio.
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Albanese → generate → radio
The press sometimes goes too far and fuels rage.
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press → go → rage
The digital era has upended journalism and a 24-hour media cycle has made governing and informed citizenry more difficult.
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governing → upend → journalism
The problem with his message is that Brendan Nugent, the man accused of running Haines down, has shown no evidence of engagement with mainstream media.
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Nugent → accuse → media
He was engaging with conspiracy theorists such as Candace Owens and the zaniest operators in Australia’s alternative media.
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He → engage → media
Albanese will never convince the most partisan commentators that he is acting in the national interest following the Haines attack.
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he → convince → attack
Yet bipartisanship is more fragile than ever and any sense that Albanese is acting opportunistically or making spurious links won’t help.
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Albanese → act → links
The prime minister was very quick to remind people of his stance on civility and extremism in the hours after Monday’s incident.
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minister → remind → incident
“Go look up the interviews in which I’ve … called for the temperature to be turned down when it comes to political discourse,” he told reporters in one of his first answers at a sombre press conference alongside an ashen-faced Tony Burke.
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he → look → Burke
A well-placed source in the security establishment, who requested anonymity, told this masthead that discourse among politicians had not significantly worsened over time.
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discourse → place → time
The pivotal difference, they said, was the rise of social media: “It magnifies grievance and anger.
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It → say → grievance
“People have always had extreme and conspiratorial views.
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People → have → views
In earlier times, you would express them to a few mates at the pub and you would just be dismissed.
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you → express → pub
Now crazed people find a like-minded community and gain a platform.”
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people → find → platform
The source added that the prime minister was on strong ground in pressuring parties such as One Nation and the Greens to take accountability for hardliners in their base.
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minister → add → base
Nugent drifted to far-left conspiratorial territory but it may well be that he was fuelled by an unsound mind.
uncertain
he → drift → mind
His social media profile will prompt questions about the link between fervent activism and violence.
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profile → prompt → activism
Liberal candidate Donald Mackay was murdered in the NSW town of Griffith in the 1970s.
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Mackay → murder → 1970s
Labor leader Arthur Calwell survived a shooting.
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Calwell → survive → shooting
Even Sweden saw its leader assassinated in 1986, proving even the most functional liberal democracies can experience tremors.
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democracies → see → tremors
Albanese’s moral authority has waned since Bondi.
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authority → wan → Bondi
As he seeks to guide the nation through this latest crisis, allies and opponents alike will watch closely for any evidence of selective standards on civility or efforts to exploit the moment to pursue long-standing grievances.
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allies → seek → grievances
Suspect named: Police had attended the property of the man arrested
-
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Police → name → man
Spy chief’s urgent warning on violent rhetoric
- Jacqueline Maley: Sinister meme appeared hours before the attack
- Hero barber:
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meme → appear → attack
Ricky thought it was a car accident.
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it → think → ?
Then he saw the knife
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he → see → knife
- What we know: The attack on Helen Haines
- From the archives: Why Helen Haines decided to run for parliament
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis.
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Haines → know → news
Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
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Subscribers → sign → newsletter
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