The alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines has prompted calls for Australia's political class to take concrete action against the escalating hate speech and political violence that have become pervasive in public discourse. In a column for Guardian Australia, Paul Daley argues that the political square has long been incapable of self-regulation, with no consequences for abuse hurled across parliamentary chambers beyond brief suspensions.
Daley points to the recent fortnight in Australian politics as a burning example of the need to "turn the temperature down," citing verbal evocations of violence in the House of Representatives and a murder fantasy at a major conservative conference. He notes that social media amplifies the worst excesses of public discourse, often contorting it into threats of violence against politicians, especially women, and that security authorities have been consistently warning about increasing threats to MPs.
Media's Role in Polarisation
Daley also criticises media outlets, both old and new, for picking sides and fomenting polarisation, driven by the marketability of political hate and division. He questions whether the federal government, which has shown a world-leading willingness to take on major tech companies to protect children from social media's excesses, is willing to curb the pervasion of political hate speech from elected officials and anonymous trolls.
A Call for Action
While acknowledging that it's impossible to legislate tolerance and kindness, Daley insists that now is not the time for inertia. He writes that in times of crisis, federal and some state parliaments do national introspection well, but too often nothing comes of it. If Haines' experience represents a moment of "national reckoning," Daley concludes, then it's time for the paradigm shift to redemptive action, with leaders acting on their words.
