ABC Illawarra Drive - Dr Helen Haines MP
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
INTERVIEW
ABC ILLAWARRA DRIVE
MONDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2026
SUBJECTS: Helen Haines, Member for Indi.
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STEFAN POSTHUMA-GRBIC, ABC ILLAWARRA DRIVE: ABC Illawarra is where you are, and it is time to head to Parliament. Parliamentary business was suspended today, allowing MPs to share messages of support for Helen Haines and her family.
A cardboard cutout of an orange cockatoo was placed in her vacant seat on the crossbench as she remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition. Carol Berry is the member for Whitlam and was in Parliament today.
Hi, Carol.
CAROL BERRY MP: Hi. How are you doing?
JOURNALIST: Yeah, good. Thanks for joining me. What was the mood like today in the House?
BERRY: Look, it was very sombre. We've had people speaking about Helen Haines all day today. So most parliamentarians have taken the opportunity to speak about Helen. So it's been a really sad day, to be honest, a difficult day, I think, for everyone in Parliament.
JOURNALIST: Would you say that there was unity in the House today?
BERRY: Yes, I would. I think everyone has been really horrified by this event, and really everybody's thoughts are with Helen. She's obviously universally respected across both the Senate and the House of Representatives. And, so I think all parliamentarians today have got Helen in their thoughts and really hoping that she is okay and that eventually she can return to parliament.
JOURNALIST: Had you gotten to know Helen much during your time in Parliament so far, Carol?
BERRY: I had. Yeah, there's a number of issues that I've spoken with Helen about, most notably when she's had difficult events happen in her electorate. I've spoken to her after those events to convey the best wishes of the people of Whitlam. And she's always been incredibly kind. So, everybody who interacts with Helen says the same thing. She's a really lovely woman, very caring, very dignified. So we're all really deeply upset that this has happened to her.
JOURNALIST: What do you think, what do you hope will come from this ordeal? Obviously, it is an awful thing to happen, but do you think some lessons can potentially be drawn and a positive path might be in the future?
BERRY: Absolutely, I do. And we had the real benefit of hearing directly from Phil Haines this morning. He came to Parliament. He took some time away from Helen's bedside to come and address us all this morning. And he said, look, we have to use this moment to make change. And I think everybody agrees with that.
So we need to think about, of course, the safety of people in public life, but more importantly, how are we going to, as a whole Australian community, think about how we're going to become more respectful in terms of how we're all treating one another. And in particular as well, how are we going to address the environment that is really becoming more heated, more difficult online as well, particularly for female parliamentarians.
So there's been a number of themes that people have been speaking through today, but I think change will come from this.
JOURNALIST: All right. Carol Berry, thank you so much for your time this afternoon.
BERRY: Pleasure. Thank you.
JOURNALIST: Cheers. That's Carol Berry there, the Labor member for Whitlam. ABC Illawarra Drive is where you are.
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