Australian democracy is usually peaceful. But there’s a homegrown history of political violence | Joshua Black and Frank Bongiorno

Like other features of our public landscape, both good and bad, political violence has a history in Australia – one from which we may learn

The alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines in Wangaratta has shocked a nation whose politics is normally peaceful even by the standards of mature democracies. A hard-working, decent parliamentarian with a strong moral compass and a gift for achieving consensus, Haines seems an especially unlikely figure to attract the kind of brutality allegedly visited on her on Monday.

We do not yet know the motivation behind this alleged attack. But there is no question Australia’s politics have been fractious over the past 12 months. Violence, literal and rhetorical, has been a growing feature of the landscape, shaping the relations between citizens and politicians – and among one another. The Bondi beach massacre of 14 December 2025 is widely regarded as a tragic turning point in this regard.

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