SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL HEALTH
MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TOPICS: Attack on the Member for Indi, how parliamentarians engage with electorates, tone of political discourse, social media

Krosch

Helen Haines remains in a critical but now stable condition in Melbourne's Alfred Hospital. She has lost one of her legs, and we know that surgeons are fighting to save the other. The 43-year-old male driver of the offending vehicle has, as we understand, a history of protesting. He was on a disability support pension, and he was on the radar of police. He lived in a nearby town to Wangaratta. His name is Brendan Nugent, and he is in police custody. As the facts firmed up since I first broke the news last night, we've kind of moved in our understanding of this. At first, we thought it was a car accident. Then it was an incident involving a car. Then Helen Haines was the victim of an alleged targeted attack, with the counter-terrorism team now employed to investigate, along with the federal police and the Victorian police. Anne Webster is the federal member for north west Victoria. She was elected in the same year as Helen Haines became the federal member for the northeast, and Anne Webster joins us tonight on evenings. Hello, Anne.

Webster  

Hello, Renee. How are you?

Krosch

This story of Helen Haines has saddened the nation. It shocked everyone across politics and, of course, the country. But for you, it must have hit really deeply.

Webster  

Ah, 100 per cent it has. I would be inhuman if I was not shocked and horrified, along with all my colleagues, that this kind of thing can happen in Australia, and you know, it just causes you to question all our public debate. Of course, we go into all the wrong directions as well, trying to work out what has happened and first and foremost, my prayers and thoughts are with Helen, of course, and her family and her staff. If they're anything like my staff, they will be absolutely mortified, horrified, shocked, and really living through a day of disbelief.

Krosch

It has been such a shock, and it's been so difficult to process that, as you rightly say, anything like this could happen in Australia. You and Helen were elected in the same year to serve your regional communities, literally in the same state, she's in the northeast, and you're the northwest of Victoria - you're the MP there.

Webster  

Yes, absolutely, and we're not too dissimilar in age either. I have a huge amount of respect for Helen, and for the way she has conducted herself in Parliament, and for this to happen to her is - it just beggars’ belief. Frankly, you know there are some politicians who almost court outrage. Whatever they say, it seems to be completely outrageous. But that's not Helen, and Helen has been thoughtful in the way that she's related - she's stood on an equal footing with everyone. She never assumed the higher ground, and it's just incredibly sad that it's come to this.

Krosch

Anne Webster, we don't know the motivation at this point for such a barbaric attack. We don't know if it's politically motivated, gender-based violence, if there are mental health issues, whether this man Brendan Nugent was acting alone or otherwise, was he radicalised online? All these questions need to be answered. But does anything change, for you as a federal MP, just across the way, does anything change from this moment in terms of how you act in the community?

Webster  

Look, it causes you to think about how you manage life, and I wrote a very brief statement because I was asked to comment this morning, so it caused me to think about well, what do you say? One thing I know is that none of us can afford to live in fear. That's just not the way to live our lives. We're not made to live in fear. We're made to live with the fullness of life where if we go, I certainly am one who believes that we need to throw our all into whatever we do, and for me, and I know it's true for Helen as well to fight for our communities is not only the greatest privilege of our lives; it is. I mean, what can you say? It is an incredible privilege. But it's a lot of work. And for those of us who live out in large regional electorates, it is a huge amount of work. It's a huge amount of driving, it's a lot of people to get around. I have 72 towns in my electorate of 83,500 square kilometres. My electorate's over a third of Victoria, and you want to believe that wherever you go, the people understand your heart, which is to serve them. That's why we go to Canberra is to serve our communities, and for someone in the community to treat Helen that way is just, it's unbelievable. It is unthinkable, but we cannot afford to live in fear. We cannot afford to do that. Otherwise, we may as well quit today. And I refuse to do that. And when I woke up this morning, Helen was the first thing on my mind. And I thought, do we, what, how do I protect my staff? You know what? Things need to be put in place. Do we need to contact the AFP? You go through all those machinations, but the reality is - we need to be available. People want to speak to their representative, and I want to be available to them. I do not want to be behind a police barricade wherever I go, I don't want to have security guards around me, and I won't. That's not how I'm going to live my life. If I stay in this job, then I want to be there for my people. It's just the way it is.

Krosch

How lucky! How lucky they are to have you as their federal member in the Mallee, Anne! Can I ask you, a lot of people are calling for this to be the turning point to stop the rhetoric of hate, to stop this unchecked frustration and anger that's turned to hate, and directed so personally to others to be blaming other people for the difficulties of one's own life. Is it time to stop? To stop and to carve out a different way?

Webster  

Look, I know people have looked at this fellow Nugent's ‘X’ and his social media and his you know particular behaviour. Obviously, for all of us, it's unfortunately part of our job that we have social media. It's just you know, it's the rite of passage. It's just what you have to do, and people can be really, really thoughtless. There is a lack of civil society in our civil society when it comes to social media, in particular, you know, the keyboard warriors. We hear it all the time, but the fact is that people have a right to their opinions. It's how we express those opinions, and it's being able to have a civil debate. And we should be able to have that. We should be able to have it passionately. I am frequently passionate. I mean, as you can tell, I love to cry on radio, but the fact is that we need to be able to have those conversations, those debates. But I don't think social media has done us any favours because people have been able to get away with saying awful things, and effectively, nothing is done about it.

Krosch

There is a vigil tonight for Helen Haines in her community of Wangaratta. In fact, I think there is a collective vigil that's being held right now, right across the nation. One of the things that's come out of this is just how strong regional communities are. In fact, all communities across Australia, in their own way, we are different. We're different people to other parts of the world. This stuff, you know, assassination attempts and you know hatred towards people. We see that so often in other parts of the world. But it's kind of, I don't know, It doesn't feel sort of normal for it to happen in Australia.

Webster  

No, not at all. I think our general character, and I know we shouldn't generalise, everybody's an individual, but I think there is a general Australian character that allows people to be themselves, you know, to be who they are, and if we don't see eye to eye, well, that's okay, you know, we'll move on. There's another day. But I think, going back to social media, the fact that we have global news feeds coming at us 24 hours a day, particularly for those who doomscroll all day, please get a life! Don't do that to yourself. There is that constant global ugliness that is coming onto people's feeds. I mean, look what's going on in Paris, in France generally, and it's not viva la revolution. It's not about that, it is appalling in every way, and you know countries have got to work out their own way of managing this. But there are particular global phenomena that - I don't know.- we've got to work out our own way of managing ourselves, and I applaud my own kids protecting their kids. You know, not wanting them on social media. Good plan. Let's hope we can.

Krosch

Let's hope we can sort it out as a nation and have the democracy that Australia deserves.

Webster  

Yeah, absolutely.

Krosch

Anne Webster, thank you for your time.

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