Grace Tame has condemned what she described as Australia's tendency to turn traumatic events into 'propaganda and conspiracy' after the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines.
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she → condemn → Haines
Haines, 65, was allegedly deliberately struck several times by a Toyota LandCruiser outside her electorate office in Wangaratta in north-east Victoria on Monday afternoon.
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Haines → strike → afternoon
She has lost both legs following the incident and remains in a critical but stable condition.
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She → lose → condition
Politicians from federal and state governments, including One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Victorian Animal Justice MP Georgie Purcell, have since spoken of their experiences with threats against elected representatives.
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Politicians → include → representatives
But on Wednesday, Tame, 31, published a social media post about public responses to the alleged attack, accusing commentators of using it to advance their own objectives.
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Tame → publish → objectives
'A woman, Helen Haines, has lost her leg because a man allegedly rammed her with his car.
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man → lose → car
Twice,' she said in a post published before Haines' husband confirmed the MP's second leg had been amputated.
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leg → say → post
'Australia, you've done it again.
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you → do → it
You've seized an individual's traumatic experience as an opportunity to further your political agendas.
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You → seize → agendas
'That should give us all pause, and turn our hearts to her.
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That → give → her
Grace Tame (pictured) said the response to an alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines was 'as disturbing as the violence'
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response → picture → violence
The MP, 65, was allegedly deliberately struck several times by a Toyota LandCruiser outside her electorate office in Wangaratta in north-east Victoria on Monday afternoon
Haines (pictured) has lost both of her legs following the alleged incident
Tame said Australians should offer compassion for victims rather than immediately turning incidents into ideological skirmishes.
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Australians → strike → skirmishes
'It is possible to extend sympathy without centring oneself or one's personal beliefs,' she said.
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she → extend → oneself
'It is possible to demand accountability and justice without indulging rumours.'
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It → demand → rumours
The former Australian of the Year also criticised what she called a growing impulse among commentators and media figures to view major events through a political lens.
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she → criticise → lens
'Such is the narcissistic distortion of our social conscience that commentators and journalists simply cannot seem to resist projecting their own ideological bias onto absolutely everything and everyone,' she said.
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she → seem → everything
'If we are living in waiting for crises to weaponise, or worse monetise, we aren't incentivised to prevent them.
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we → live → them
We are feeding off and into them.'
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We → feed → them
'This is as disturbing as the violence itself.'
Tame's comments follow a broader national debate over the safety of politicians and the growing abuse directed at public figures.
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comments → follow → figures
Victorian MP Georgie Purcell (pictured) said she had received 'thousands' of death threats
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson also revealed she had recently been provided with increased protection due to threats
Georgie Purcell, who knows Haines personally, said the alleged attack on the Indi MP highlighted the risks faced by elected representatives, particularly women.
'One comment on my post about Helen said they wished it had happened to me,' she told AAP on Tuesday.
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she → picture → Tuesday
The Victorian Animal Justice MP argued security arrangements for politicians should be reviewed before Victorians head to the polls in next month's state election.
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Victorians → argue → election
She added that Haines had previously sent her a handwritten card before the birth of her daughter, describing the 65-year-old as a caring and widely respected figure.
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Haines → add → figure
Pauline Hanson also revealed she had recently been provided with increased protection due to threats while speaking to News24 earlier this week.
'I've only just recently had more full-time protection because of the threats that have come in,' Hanson said.
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Hanson → reveal → threats
The One Nation leader said she has spent much of her political career travelling Australia without extensive protection but had noticed a significant escalation in threats.
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she → say → threats
'I had it in 97-98 for 18 months, 24/7, because of the threats against me because I dared question the establishment,' Hanson said.
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Hanson → have → establishment
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday revealed the number of people before the courts due to threats against him was in the 'double digits'.
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number → reveal → digits
The Aporia
