I am deeply saddened and distressed by the news out of Wangaratta involving Dr Helen Haines MP.

I’m praying for Helen and thinking of her family and loved ones.

This is a shocking day for our nation.

No one should be targeted in this way.

Australians will be angry and appalled by the attack on Helen outside her electorate office in Wangaratta.

Our nation cannot become a place where violent attacks are normalised.

I’ve spoken with the Prime Minister, and we are united in our view that political violence must never be accepted as part of public life.

I hope Helen, her family and her community across north-east Victoria know that Australians right across the country are thinking of them and holding them in their thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.

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