Following the attack on Dr Helen Haines MP, Murrindindi Shire Council has unanimously condemned violence, threats and intimidation and called on elected representatives and candidates across Australia to commit to honesty, respect and compassion.
Murrindindi Shire Council has issued a national call for greater civility in Australian politics following a unanimous resolution at its Council meeting on Wednesday 28 October in response to the attack on Federal Member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines MP.
Through a report titled 'Condemnation of Violence Following the attack on Dr Helen Haines MP', Council formally condemned violence, threats and intimidation in public and civic life, expressed its support for Dr Haines, her family and staff, and reaffirmed its commitment to respectful democratic participation and civil public discourse.
Council also unanimously called on elected representatives and all candidates for office at every level of government across Australia to sign the Compassion in Politics - Civility Pledge (Australia):
"In my political life, I pledge to act with honesty, respect, and compassion."
https://www.compassioninpolitics.com.au/the-pledge
Dr Haines was the first Australian elected representative to sign the pledge, giving Council's national call particular significance.
Mayor Cr Damien Gallagher was joined by Cr Paul Hildebrand, Cr Sandice McAulay, Cr Eric Lording and Cr Sue Carpenter, who each spoke in support of Dr Haines and the pledge. Their remarks reflected shared concerns about the rise of hostility, intimidation and behaviours that undermine democratic participation.
In his address to Council, Mayor Gallagher reflected on an exchange of text messages with Dr Haines just days before the attack, the importance of persistence in public service, and the need to restore respect and compassion to political debate.
"Serving your community should be an act of commitment, not an act of courage. No Australian should have to weigh the safety of themselves or their family before deciding whether to serve in public life," Cr Gallagher said.
Council is encouraging political leaders and candidates across Australia, regardless of political affiliation, to follow Dr Haines' example and make a public commitment to respectful political leadership.
Learn more about the Civility Pledge (Australia) and sign the pledge:
https://www.compassioninpolitics.com.au/the-pledge
Councils unanimously resolved to:
- Formally acknowledge the attack on the Member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines MP, and unequivocally condemn violence, threats and intimidation in public and civic life;
- Express its support for Dr Helen Haines, her family and staff and all those affected by the incident;
- Reaffirm commitment to respectful democratic participation and civil public discourse, where differing views can be expressed and debated without fear of violence or intimidation; and
- Invite elected representatives and all candidates for office at every level of government across Australia to sign the Compassion in Politics - Civility Pledge (Australia): "In my political life, I pledge to act with honesty, respect, and compassion."
Mayor Cr Damien Gallagher's full address to Council - 28 October 2026
A few nights before the unimaginable events that unfolded in Wangaratta, I was exchanging text messages with Dr Helen Haines.
We were celebrating an advocacy victory for my community after a long and difficult campaign for Commonwealth and State Government support. I thanked Helen for standing with us, and I confided how emotional it felt to secure a handful of wins after months of relentless effort that often felt unseen and unrewarded.
Her response was characteristically wise:
"Well, I learnt a little while ago that just about the time you think no one is listening and you are sick to death of the sound of your own voice is when you may just be about to get a win."
Those words carry a lesson far beyond advocacy.
They remind us that progress is rarely achieved through anger, intimidation or despair. It is achieved by people of good faith who persist, who listen, who engage respectfully, and who continue to show up for their communities even when the task is difficult.
Today, that lesson speaks to all of us.
Serving your community should be an act of commitment, not an act of courage. No Australian should have to weigh the safety of themselves or their family before deciding whether to serve in public life.
Our democracy depends upon participation. It depends upon people being willing to put forward ideas, challenge decisions, disagree with one another and hold their elected representatives to account. But those freedoms carry responsibilities. Respect for human dignity, respect for difference, and respect for the safety of others must never be optional.
In recent years, too often we have seen disagreement become division, and legitimate debate give way to hostility and intimidation. Too often we have mistaken outrage for strength and humiliation for victory. Democracy was never intended to produce winners and losers in a perpetual contest of hostility. It was intended to bring people together in pursuit of the common good.
So let this be a moment of resolve.
The events of the past week demand more than our sympathy. They demand reflection. They demand leadership. And they demand that we ask ourselves what kind of nation we want to be.
We know the answer.
We want ours to be a country where differences are debated, not weaponised. A country where public service is honoured, not threatened. A country where people can participate without fear and where our children inherit a stronger, kinder and more respectful democracy than the one we see today.
That will not happen through words alone. It will require each of us to challenge incivility whenever we encounter it and to model the respect we expect from others. We must be relentless in that task. Relentless in rebuilding trust. Relentless in restoring civility. Relentless, as Helen reminded us, until we are sick to death of the sound of our own voices.
Amidst the division and distress of recent days, we have also witnessed the very best of humanity. We have seen those who run towards danger rather than away from it. We have seen people place compassion above fear and service above self-interest.
Thankfully, that's not only the Murrindindi way; but the Indi way.
On behalf of Council, I offer our thoughts and best wishes to Helen, to Phil, and to their family. I also extend our support to Kaz and Alison and every member of Helen's team, who are carrying their own hurt while continuing to serve with unwavering loyalty and affection.
May they draw strength from knowing that they do not stand alone, and may this difficult week strengthen our resolve to protect the democracy, decency and community spirit that bind us together as Australians.
Passionate debate strengthens democracy. Disagreement is not only acceptable; it is essential. We should challenge our elected representatives; we should question their decisions; we should demand better of them. But there is a line. That line is crossed the moment we decide that disagreement gives us permission to abandon our humanity.
The cost of incivility is profound.
It can be seen in the growing disengagement of young people from public life, in the erosion of trust in our institutions, and, at its worst, in acts of intimidation and violence against individuals.
It reveals itself when social media algorithms create echo chambers rather than understanding; when violence against women is excused, ignored, or not unequivocally condemned; when we stop listening to one another; and when we forget that disagreement is not something to fear, but an opportunity to learn, reflect, and grow.
The cycle ends when we change the game. It ends when we choose to bring people into the conversation with warmth rather than hostility, when we lead with humility, and when we commit ourselves to a contest of ideas rather than a contest of personalities.
That is why I call on elected representatives - and all candidates for office - at every level of government across Australia to make a simple but meaningful commitment by signing the Compassion in Politics - Civility Pledge (Australia):
"In my political life, I pledge to act with honesty, respect, and compassion."
It is a short statement, but it carries a powerful message. By making this commitment, we affirm that political leadership can be principled without being cruel, passionate without being divisive, and determined without being disrespectful.
At a time when community confidence in government is being tested, this simple commitment is a strong symbolic gesture following the lead of the first Australian elected representative to ever make the pledge, Dr. Helen Haines, Member for Indi.
I commend the motion.
