The violent attack on beloved Independent for Indi, Helen Haines, has been followed by an avalanche of commentaries on the poor state of our society, our democracy and public discourse.

The presenters reflect on the main themes in these responses, namely:

1. poor standards of behaviour and debate set by political leaders
2. loss of civility in the 'public square' of the Internet and social media
3. pervasive misogyny and racism
4. lack of support for people struggling with their mental health
5. social grievance, and democratic/social exclusion from sites of power
6. public dehumanisation of whole groups including migrants, first nations people and Palestinians.

They argue we need to reclaim democracy (in a meaningful sense), and stop big tech companies taking over and degrading public discourse for profit. Politicians need to take responsibility for their uncivil behaviour as well, and assist in creating a kinder, fairer, and more caring society. Overall we need a preventive approach that addresses the conditions that can make violence attractive in the first place.

References

Amy Remeikis 2026, ‘There’s been an ugly shift in Australia. Our biggest challenge is a clear-eyed examination of why’, The New Daily, 21 October 2026.

Amy Remeikis 2026, ‘Haines is a great reminder that politics can be good. We mustn’t let that be ignored’, The New Daily, 24 October 2026.

Ben Doherty 2026, ‘The alleged attack on Helen Haines shocked the nation. It shouldn’t have’, The Guardian, 24 October 2026.

Benita Kolovos 2026, ‘Sexualised, violent threats: female Victorian MPs fear for their safety as they fight more than just next month’s election’, The Guardian, 23 October 2026.

Cathy McGowan 2026, ‘We must rise above the despair’, The Saturday Paper, No.623, 24 October 2026.

Julie Posetti, Lea Hellmueller, Kaylee Williams, Pauline Renaud, Nermine Aboulez, & Nabeelah Shabbir (Author(s)/editor(s) 2025, Tipping point: The chilling escalation of online violence against women in the public sphere, New York, UN Women.

Kon Karapanagiotidis 2026, LinkedIn post, October 2026.

Kristina Murphy 2026, ‘Anti‑government violence is growing. The response needs to be more than just increased policing’, The Conversation, 21 October 2026.

Noah Secomb 2026, ‘Australian women in public roles reveal shocking scale of threats in wake of alleged attack on Helen Haines’, 7NEWS.com.au

Paul Daley 2026, ‘Political hate speech can have real-world fallout: After the alleged attack on Helen Haines, our leaders must act’, The Guardian, 20 October 2026.

Paul Sakkal 2026, ‘MPs urged to sign Civility Pledge’, The Age, 26 October 2026.

Sam Mostyn 2026, ‘Governor-General reveals abusive response to plea for “decency” ‘, The New Daily, 22 October 2026.

Saul Eslake 2026, ‘We’ve been asked to ‘turn down the temperature’. Here’s how we start’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 October 2026.

Sean Kelly 2026, ‘As tragedy demands respect for women, outcry’ (i.e. manosphere backlash – ed), The Age, 26 October 2026.

Tim Berenyi 2026, ‘I spent a week watching Helen Haines in action in Canberra. It was the most inspiring week of my life’, The Guardian, 22 October 2026.

Tom McIlroy 2026, ‘In one of the darkest days of Australian politics, the Helen Haines tragedy confirmed what many feared was only a matter of time’, The Guardian, 24 October 2026.

+ published after the program went to air

Marcia Langton 2026, ‘Violent Rhetoric and the great Australian Silence’, The Saturday Paper, No 624, 31 October 2026.