Oct 20, 2026 · 14 min · 7 segments
It was only last week that independent MP Helen Haines spoke about why Australians were so angry – citing the cost of living, insurance premiums, the price of groceries, and fuel. And, for people…
Rob HarrisGuest
Samantha Selinger-MorrisHostWell, it's interesting you note there that that might have got up the Prime Minister's nose because I think some listeners will have seen Anthony Albanese's quite emotional interview with the ABC about this attack on Helen Haines.
Uh, she's someone who's always worth listening to, uh, because her motives are good.
Doesn't mean we always agree, but I do always agree that her motives are good, and she's just a thoroughly decent, respectful human being who
And it's not, it's not that often we see Anthony Albanese very emotional, so perhaps that's a testament to how respected she is, I guess.
MP safety's been a- an issue that's slowly sort of really, um, gathered a lot of momentum internally.
There have been MPs for, for six or seven years saying this was, this day was coming, you know.
That they have been really, um, concerned about online behavior, about the behavior of, uh, the way people speak to each other online.
But also I think, uh, one MP sort of puts it well, the, the, the type of people that engage with a politician or a politician's office are obviously people that are highly engaged in politics, or they're people at the end of their tether.
And, you know, for a lot of people in the community that, uh, you know, an MP is, is, is someone they, whether they've got, uh, issues in their life, they seem to take it out on.
We, we've seen the stats that, um, a growing number of sort of threats, violent threats have been made against MPs over the past year.
So today and last night there were a lot of MPs who are really rattled, mainly because they thought this day was coming.
But the, the big surprise it, it, that it was someone like Dr. Helen Haines who is, uh, really a, a well-respected and, and rather inoffensive, uh, politician.
Well, I wanted to ask you a bit about, uh, you know, the feeling among MPs in Australia that they are perhaps at greater risk because we know that Albanese himself revealed this year he had spent weeks away from his Sydney residence as the government bolstered security and built a blast-resistant safety bunker in Kirribilli House.
Uh, and we know that Liberal MP Andrew Hastie recently received major security upgrades to his home and office because of threats against him.
So is there some feeling, uh, I don't know, or suggestion that perhaps our MPs have not been adequately protected?
Look, uh, it, it's certainly been an issue for a long time and, uh, the budget this year, uh, allowed for a lot more funding to go towards it.
Um, the fact that no one is really advocating sort of Secret Service style, uh, security 24/7.
Well, it's interesting you note there that that might have got up the Prime Minister's nose because I think some listeners will have seen Anthony Albanese's quite emotional interview with the ABC about this attack on Helen Haines.
Uh, she's someone who's always worth listening to, uh, because her motives are good.
Doesn't mean we always agree, but I do always agree that her motives are good, and she's just a thoroughly decent, respectful human being who
And it's not, it's not that often we see Anthony Albanese very emotional, so perhaps that's a testament to how respected she is, I guess.
MP safety's been a- an issue that's slowly sort of really, um, gathered a lot of momentum internally.
There have been MPs for, for six or seven years saying this was, this day was coming, you know.
That they have been really, um, concerned about online behavior, about the behavior of, uh, the way people speak to each other online.
But also I think, uh, one MP sort of puts it well, the, the, the type of people that engage with a politician or a politician's office are obviously people that are highly engaged in politics, or they're people at the end of their tether.
And, you know, for a lot of people in the community that, uh, you know, an MP is, is, is someone they, whether they've got, uh, issues in their life, they seem to take it out on.
We, we've seen the stats that, um, a growing number of sort of threats, violent threats have been made against MPs over the past year.
So today and last night there were a lot of MPs who are really rattled, mainly because they thought this day was coming.
But the, the big surprise it, it, that it was someone like Dr. Helen Haines who is, uh, really a, a well-respected and, and rather inoffensive, uh, politician.
Well, I wanted to ask you a bit about, uh, you know, the feeling among MPs in Australia that they are perhaps at greater risk because we know that Albanese himself revealed this year he had spent weeks away from his Sydney residence as the government bolstered security and built a blast-resistant safety bunker in Kirribilli House.
Uh, and we know that Liberal MP Andrew Hastie recently received major security upgrades to his home and office because of threats against him.
So is there some feeling, uh, I don't know, or suggestion that perhaps our MPs have not been adequately protected?
Look, uh, it, it's certainly been an issue for a long time and, uh, the budget this year, uh, allowed for a lot more funding to go towards it.
Um, the fact that no one is really advocating sort of Secret Service style, uh, security 24/7.
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