Television interview - News24

KIERAN GILBERT, HOST : It's been a very tough week for the town of Wangaratta, for the Parliament of the nation, and of course, for the family of Helen Haines as she continues to fight for her life in a Melbourne hospital. To discuss this and all the ramifications of this alleged act of violence against an MP, let's bring in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. PM, thanks very much for your time.

Have you got an update on Helen today? PRIME MINISTER : Good afternoon, Kieran. I spoke with Phil Haines, Helen's husband, this morning.

Helen remains in a critical condition. There will be – it's up to the family to make further statements when and if they think that's appropriate. But suffice to say, this is a very serious incident.

Our thoughts and our prayers remain very much with Helen Haines at this difficult time for her family, for her many friends, for her team there in the electorate office, but also, of course, for her many, many supporters, particularly in that electorate. I visited Indi with Helen Haines, and I know how much she is respected, just as she is broadly respected right across the Parliament. : Yeah, indeed.

There's a sense of shock because no one deserves any act of political violence against them. It is completely appalling and reprehensible at every level. But the person who is the least divisive person in this place is Helen Haines.

PRIME MINISTER : She certainly is. She's a very strong advocate, of course, for her electorate. She has particularly passionate views about health care.

She's a former nurse, former midwife. She's passionate about regional economic development. I've been to facilities there supporting jobs.

She's passionate about the clean energy transition. She's passionate about so many issues and of course, on integrity as well. She's the Deputy Chair of the committee that oversees the NACC, the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

She's someone who's played a really central role in the Parliament. She's been very successful, of course, being elected and re-elected time and time again. And there's no doubt that she's someone who is very broadly respected. : And as you said, we pray that she'll be back and very soon doing those roles just as well as she has done to this point.

You've just met with other members of Parliament, with the ASIO boss, with the head of Home Affairs. Obviously, you can't go into all the specifics, but can you give us a sense of what was discussed and what is the concern that most of your colleagues want answered today? PRIME MINISTER : There are briefings taking place of Labor Party members, Coalition members, crossbenchers, briefings being made available about security arrangements.

There's been an increase in funding for security for members of Parliament in the last couple of years, and this is an opportunity for people who feel anxious to be able to ask questions as well of the security agencies as well as the Department of Home Affairs. I spoke briefly at the beginning of the meeting. That took place around about an hour ago.

It might still be going, I suspect, but those series of meetings are happening during the week. Of course, I've also spoken personally with the Director-General of ASIO, Mike Burgess. We had briefings yesterday from the head of the AFP as well as Victoria Police, and we want to make sure that people can feel as much comfort as possible that everything's being done to maximise security.

But also, I think parliamentarians across the board are determined to make sure that we can continue to engage as we need to in this great democracy of ours. I've had discussions with Angus Taylor, with Matt Canavan – : Is that possible? PRIME MINISTER : It has to be.

Have things changed forever, though? PRIME MINISTER : It has to be the case, in my view, very strongly, that we need to be able to attend community events, festivals. We need to be able to go shopping and engage with people in the queues of Aldi or Woollies or Coles or the Westfield centres around Australia.

And we need to be able to go to the footy. There's nothing quite like sitting on the hill at Henson Park and having a pie at halftime and having people come up and engage with you. That interaction is really important in our democracy. : Can every MP have close personal protection?

Is that feasible? PRIME MINISTER : I think that risk assessments are made and those risk assessments are done as best as possible. But here, in this tragic circumstance with Helen Haines, she was getting something out of the boot of her car.

Now, people do need to go about their business, and people need to be also not wary about running for public office. Overwhelmingly, people run for public office for all of the right reasons, whether they be Labor, Liberal, Coalition, Independent, One Nation, Greens. People want to improve the lot of life for citizens of this country and overwhelmingly, people across the board.

I can have political differences with Angus Taylor or with Matt Canavan, both of whom I spoke with yesterday, but they love this country as much as I do and they want what's best for the country. We have different perspectives, but we need to be able to have that civil discourse and people need to be able to engage in a democracy, because that is a central feature of who we are as Australians. : Well, you met with your Labor Caucus members yesterday, the female members of Caucus.

Is there a greater risk? Are there more threats to women in Parliament? PRIME MINISTER : The threats are different.

Many of the threats and criticisms and abuse that women have to endure, unfortunately – or are enduring, but they shouldn't – are sexualised in their nature. And Katy Gallagher and Tanya Plibersek and others have outlined that, Anika Wells, the Minister for Communications. I'm very conscious that the nature of those threats can be different, in many cases as very misogynistic and sexualised in its nature. : You had a group of protesters that basically forced you to shut down your electoral office.

Pro-Palestinian protesters. Can you give us a sense of what it is like for electoral staff? Because that's obviously an uneasy situation where they can't get to work and you've got protesters in their face and aggressive every day.

PRIME MINISTER : Electorate officers, overwhelmingly, what they do is they help our citizens with Centrelink issues, migration issues, Medicare and health care. They help in assisting constituents to navigate what can often be a complex bureaucracy. Overwhelmingly, they're not there to engage in party politics.

And the fact that tactics were used, such as regularly opening the door of my electorate office, throwing in balloons full of what essentially were stink bombs to make it uninhabitable for either staff or constituents, meant that it simply wasn't tolerable, as well as the abuse that was suffered. My old electorate office was on the grounds of the Anglican Church, St Clement's there on Marrickville Road, and people going to church – it shared a car park as well.

People going to church were being abused, and it became such that the church, through care for the parishioners there, wanted us to move. So, that has occurred. Bizarrely, the demonstration is still outside my former office.

I was at a funeral there just last week of a very significant figure in journalism, Peter Manning. And the fact that a demonstration was outside still, protesters. It's not my office.

It's a pathology – : Can I ask you, shouldn't there be a law that says enough is enough and you can move these people on? And I ask you that, and I know it's separate to this horrific incident in Wangaratta, but it goes to your argument about needing to lower the temperature. These protesters, the rise of antisemitism that we've seen in recent years.

In hindsight, did you and the government senior ministers fail to keep a lid on that antisemitism? PRIME MINISTER : Antisemitism is something where there has been a rise, not just here in Australia, but around the world. I think the idea that people would demonstrate for example outside synagogues, I just find completely abhorrent and should be outlawed, shouldn't be seen to be acceptable, antisemitism, and is abhorrent.

And you can have legitimate debates about the Middle East in policy without drawing into question, attacking people because of who they are, because they happen to be Jewish Australians. : In hindsight, could you have done more, you and your ministers? PRIME MINISTER : You can always do better, Kieran. That's just a fact.

But the truth is that antisemitism has been on the rise. We have the Royal Commission into antisemitism, the first time there's been a Royal Commission of that nature anywhere in the world. : On the tone of debate, were you aware or give approval to your office to distribute to the Press Gallery information about Helen Haines, about grants that she'd sought after she criticised you over the $6 million Marrickville grant?

PRIME MINISTER : Helen Haines is a good local member. She put forward applications like other members do for grants, and that's what good local members do. And Helen Haines is a very strong advocate for her community. .

So, did the office send that out? Do you regret that, in hindsight, given the events of recent days? PRIME MINISTER : Helen Haines is a strong advocate for her community and she advocates for funding, just as the Coalition made more than a thousand commitments worth $1.64 billion during the election campaign.

That's what local members do for their local communities. : Yes. So, if it was a dirt sheet, you're sounding like it was not much of a dirt sheet, that it was more of a wrap, given your assessment of it. Or a compliment, I should say.

PRIME MINISTER : People advocate for their electorates. That's what Helen Haines does and that's what other members do. : News24 survey, it's the lowest ever approval for you and lowest primary. Are you concerned people have stopped listening to you?

PRIME MINISTER : We are in a situation where we continue to advocate. We know that people are under financial pressure and that the cost-of-living is the number one issue. That is what we are seeking to address.

These are difficult global economic times, Kieran. And if you look right around the world, whether it be in the United States or in Europe, in other democracies as well, governments are under pressure because of global inflation that is feeding into the increase in interest rates we've seen from reserve banks right around the world. What we'll continue to do is to make sure we're focused on the things that matter.

And the things that matter are dealing with inflationary pressures in the economy, continuing to advocate for strong employment, continuing to support a Future Made in Australia, strengthening Medicare, Free TAFE and education policies. Making sure as well that Australia's place in the world is – : Can you fix it? Can you fix it, where you are at the moment?

PRIME MINISTER : Of course we can. And each and every day we're focused on the needs of Australians. We'll continue to do that.

We'll continue to advocate for strong policies. And when people – you know, we're not halfway through the term yet, what we will do is continue to put our case. If you look at the way, for example, we've dealt with the fuel crisis globally.

There were people saying we should have fuel rationing prior to Easter. What we've done is deliver so that we've still got, whether it be petrol or diesel or jet fuel, we have around about the same amount that we had prior to 28 February, prior to this global conflict. And that's because of the systems that we put in place to buy fuel on the spot market.

That's because of the relations that we've built in our region and that has delivered for Australians. We will continue to put forward our agenda over coming weeks. The Free Trade Agreement with Europe is a critical question for the Parliament of whether we will support giving access to Australian goods and services to a market that is 450 million strong.

Now, this will result in an immediate benefit of some $10 billion, but rising in the future. This is a question of whether, at a time when global trade is under siege, when we see a rise in protectionism, of whether the Parliament will continue to support markets and continue to trade and back our businesses, our farmers and our producers of services as well, to get access to that market as well as, of course, goods coming in here being cheaper will lower inflation and will benefit consumers. : I know you've got to go.

Next week, it will be a sombre week when Parliament's back, obviously, as we hope and we continue the prayers for Helen Haines. And to lower the temperature, as you say, do we all have to do better? It was pointed out to me you called Angus Taylor an idiot in a recent interview.

I mean, do we all have to try and do a bit better? Be more like Helen? PRIME MINISTER : Of course we do.

And someone said to me, what could we do to pay a tribute? I know there's a vigil this evening. Cathy McGowan has contacted me.

There's a vigil in Wodonga tonight for Helen, and that's a fantastic thing that her local community will be able to go along too. But for all of us, when asked, you know, should we do a vigil or what can we do? I think the answer to that is be like Helen.

Be someone who's respectful, be someone who's effective and makes a difference in public life. Helen Haines is much admired and certainly talking with her husband again this morning, they're very conscious of the support that is overwhelmingly coming in. This needs to be a moment of unity, of care and compassion and kindness and thoughts for Helen Haines and her family. : I'm glad they're receiving that loud and clear.

Prime Minister Albanese, thanks as always. We appreciate it. Thanks.

PRIME MINISTER : Thanks very much, Kieran. PM&C acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past, present and emerging.