Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led a parliamentary tribute to Helen Haines on Monday, saying the shock caused by the alleged attack on the independent MP sits “like a stone in our hearts”.
“Today, being back in this chamber on what should have been an ordinary day, looking across at the member for Indi’s seat over there, and hoping and looking forward to the day in which she's back here,” Albanese said. “The shape of her life and her family’s lives have changed forever” (SBS).
The silhouette of a cockatoo was placed on Haines’ chair by her friend and fellow crossbench MP Zali Steggall. Many MPs wore orange hearts on their lapels in tribute to Haines (SBS).
“This should not just shock us,” Wentworth MP Allegra Spender said about the alleged attack on Haines. “It should change us” (ABC).
Independent MP Dai Le called for action to represent Haines’ constituents in her absence. “If we are going to honour Helen, let’s make it count for her and her community,” Le said, reiterating Haines’ push for increased health funding in regional Australia (The Canberra Times).
Read more: What would Helen Haines do? (The Saturday Paper)