Australian politics entered an ever darker place on Monday, with the alleged attack on Dr Helen Haines in her electorate leaving her in a critical condition, and a 43-year-old local man in custody.
Haines had emergency surgery overnight after being struck by a vehicle in Wangaratta, and she remains in a critical condition.
But I don’t believe anyone can be surprised that the rise in threats and harassment could result in physical violence, and what police are investigating could be a targeted attack.
Haines is an independent, and she is a woman. She is vocal, visible and determined to use her time in office to effect change on integrity in politics, regional and local housing infrastructure, climate action and anti corruption.
She is also incredibly decent, a former nurse and midwife who turned to politics. She is widely revered across parliament, and personally embodies the integrity in politics she champions from the crossbench.
The sad reality Australia must wake up to is that harassment, threats and now physical violence are a standard part of our political discourse and women are especially prone to harm online and off, with such violence against women reflecting a pattern internationally.
While male parliamentarians are also threatened, with 1067 reports of harassing, nuisance, offensive and threatening behaviour towards high office holders of all genders received by the AFP last financial year, almost double what was received in the 2021-22 Financial year, we must note the reality of the added risks women in public office face.
Almost nine in ten Australian women in public office or running for election have experienced online abuse linked to their political role, with three-quarters of them believing the online abuse of women in politics has increased in the past two years, according to recent data from the Women For Election.
And AI is scaling up the harmful abuse faster than governments can regulate or respond, with the extent of sexualised abuse and deepfakes risking significantly.
This abuse has a chilling effect, as do physical manifestations of such abuse, like what police suspect occurred on Monday afternoon — and like we’ve tragically seen occur overseas in recent years.
Half of the women politicians surveyed by Women for Election said online abuse has made them question whether they would run for office again, with 64 per cent saying the online abuse has made them less likely to run for office or encourage other women to do so. Meanwhile, four in five respondents said they had changed their behaviour due to online abuse.
As Professor Julie Posetti said regarding her international research, “in the most extreme cases, this dangerous trajectory becomes a deadly trajectory,” with the international data finding 41 per cent of women surveyed in the public sphere had experienced physical violence linked to online harm — a rate that has doubled in five years. “One of the most problematic responses from employers or governments or regulators is to say, well, this is just virtual. It’s not — it’s incredibly real.”
Just last week, Labor MP Anne Aly took to social media to outline the online abuse she has been experiencing. “This past week alone, I have had 19 death threats on my social media, and in the past I have had death threats that are couched in that exact same language.” She was referring to the language she received inside parliament, including Queensland Liberal Angie Bell calling for the Prime Minister and Minister Aly to be “shamed and stoned in the square.”
And just weeks ago also, Georgie Purcell, an MP in the Victorian Upper House, spoke out about the escalating fears of women in public life.
This morning, Purcell said the alleged attack on Haines will rattle the nation, and especially women in public life.
“While a motivation is yet to be confirmed, I know this will also send chills down the spines of women in parliaments across the country, as well as candidates contesting the Victorian state election.”
She added that as a woman in politicis you change “the way you move through the world”.
As upsetting and disturbing as this attack on a sitting MP is, it’s hard to be surprised given the data demonstrating a shocking rise in online abuse and international evidence demonstrating the link between virtual abuse and the physical world.
The Prime Minister has called for the temperature of political discourse to come down, as have many MPs — many of whom must take their own advice.
But that won’t stop the algorithms, the presence of AI making content production faster than ever and normalising violence, and those seeking to benefit and profit from nurturing community grievances.