Independent senator David Pocock has branded parliamentary question time a “disgrace” and called for politicians to clean up their behaviour following an attack on fellow crossbencher Helen Haines.
The ACT senator said he was shocked by the conduct of MPs when he first entered parliament and believed changes were needed to reduce personal attacks.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, Senator Pocock was asked whether the conduct of question time needed to change in the wake of the attack on Dr Haines.
“Yes, I think it’s a disgrace,” he said.
“I was deeply shocked my first question time. Just the way it happens.
“As a start, you don’t really get many answers. I think that needs to change.”
He said robust political debate remained essential but should not descend into personal attacks.
His comments followed an opinion piece by independent MP Allegra Spender, who argued that improving political safety needed to begin at Parliament House.
Senator Pocock said the attack on Dr Haines had changed the security environment for elected representatives.
“What happened to Dr Haines changes things,” he said.
“Things have undeniably changed, but we get to respond to that.”
He said Australia should protect its tradition of politicians remaining accessible to the communities they represented.
“My view is we have to ensure that we have a democracy where your local politician lives in the community, goes to the local coffee shop, does the groceries,” he said.
“That’s something Australians love about Australia.”
Senator Pocock also revealed he and his wife Emma had made personal decisions about their safety after concerns about their previous home became difficult to ignore.
“Oh, it just seemed like everyone knew where I lived,” he said.
“There were a couple of incidents.”
However, he said the harassment he had experienced was minor compared with the abuse directed at female parliamentarians.
“You want to hear stories of harassment, and of just vile phone calls, emails, comments, talk to basically any female MP,” he said.
“And that is totally unacceptable.”
He also warned that online abuse was contributing to the increasingly hostile environment.
“People are saying things online that they would not say to your face,” he said.
“And I think that’s the thing we have to grapple with as a society.”
The comments came during Senator Pocock’s inaugural National Press Club address, which focused on how Australia could use its natural wealth to deliver long-term economic benefits.