Australian Parliament pays tribute to injured lawmaker as it resumes work under increased security

Australia’s Parliament resumed work on Monday with increased security and paid tribute to lawmaker Helen Haines who was critically injured last week in an alleged act of political violence.Security screening measures were enhanced at Parliament House in the first session since Oct.19, when authorities allege a driver rammed an SUV into Haines twice outside her electorate office.

She remained in a Melbourne hospital on Monday in a serious but stable condition after both her legs were amputated.A 43-year-old man has been charged with offenses including intentionally causing serious injury.Police have not revealed a motive.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was the first of several lawmakers to pay tribute to Haines, a respected independent.

He proposed a motion expressing the Parliament’s wish for her recovery and support for her family.Her husband Phil Haines looked on from Parliament’s public gallery.“While the investigations go on, we must not rush to conclusions.

But nor can we shrug off the very real rise in anger that distorts and corrodes our public discourse,” Albanese told Parliament.“Enabled by the anonymity and speed afforded by social media, we are seeing rage and aggression increasing, not just in politics, but toward workers in hospitality, in retail, in schools and in hospitals, toward police, paramedics and other officials,” Albanese added.Albanese described a “normalization of the language of grievance and violence.”“We must not conflate the robustness of Australian democracy with this rising tide of rage,” Albanese said.Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told Australian Broadcasting Corp.on Sunday threats against lawmakers were evenly spread between male and female politicians.

But threats against women were more “personalized.”Barrett said there was a “direct correlation” between the language political rivals use against each other and threats and abuse directed at lawmakers from the public.Cri...