Taylor faces rebuke after speech on Haines attack

Independent MPs Monique Ryan and Zali Steggall criticized opposition leader Angus Taylor on Monday for his handling of the recent attack on Helen Haines. The two crossbenchers described Taylor's remarks as tone deaf and said he failed to read the room.

Parliament resumed in Canberra on Monday, exactly one week after the alleged assault outside Haines's electorate office in northern Victoria. Haines lost both legs in the incident. A 43-year-old man has been charged, and police have not disclosed a motive while the investigation continues.

Taylor addressed the House to reject the idea that parliamentary behavior feeds political violence. He stated that he disagreed with the view suggesting a causal connection between robust debate and physical aggression. Taylor argued that the Westminster system exists to settle differences through rigorous debate. He said those who turn to intimidation cross a line that must never be crossed.

In the speech, Taylor said Labor was right to target far-right extremism but urged that all extremism be rejected. He called for judges to come down harder on those found guilty of violence. He also suggested the nation celebrate itself more readily, arguing that too many people had been taught to feel guilt about its history.

Steggall, who sits beside Haines in the lower house, said she was personally disappointed in the response. She stated there is a link between words and actions and did not feel Taylor grasped the lesson Haines would want people to learn. She added that the same care should apply to media reporting and social media.

Steggall said she spoke with Haines's husband, Phil Haines, on Monday. He asked MPs to raise the bar so that a meaningful shift toward respectful debate would occur by the time Haines returns to parliament. Steggall noted that while they can disagree respectfully, words matter and have an impact.

Ryan called the response hugely disappointing and told ABC TV that she did not understand how Taylor aspires to lead a party if he does not think words matter. She argued that if parliament cannot rise to the occasion after such an unthinkable event, it never will. One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce also opposed changing parliamentary practice, calling the attack so unAustralian and pointing to vindictive rhetoric in public life.