THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR CANNING

TRANSCRIPT
INTERVIEW WITH NADIA MITSOPOULOS, ABC RADIO WA MORNINGS

Tuesday 20 October 2026

Topics: Helen Haines MP 

E&OE……………………………………

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: Andrew Hastie, good morning, and thank you for talking to me.

ANDREW HASTIE: Good morning to you, Nadia, and your listeners.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: How are you reflecting on what's happened?

ANDREW HASTIE: Firstly, I'm shocked and saddened to see this attack on Helen Haines. She's one of the gentlest, friendliest MPs that you'll meet. She's a woman of very fine character, and whatever political differences that we might have, I hold her in very high regard and respect. It's very sad to see this. We're praying for her recovery along with her family and friends and her team. But I think the thought I have had overnight is that Australia, as a democratic experiment, is only 125 years old, and we're at our best when we debate, we negotiate, and we compromise. That's why our democracy has been so successful. And I think the increased threat of violence and this attack on Helen Haines is a threat to our democratic way of life. So, I think the first thing we all need to do is step back and ask ourselves: how can we be better stewards of Australian democracy – individually, on a personal level? Because I think a lot of us have become more politically engaged across the spectrum. We're more engaged on social media than ever before, and I think the danger with social media is that it is hopelessly reductionist. It takes all the complexity out of politics, and it also demonises our opponents. And so, I think just stepping back and not being quick to assign blame here – there's someone in custody, I'm not sure if they've even been charged yet. I think it's incumbent on us all to reflect on how we can be better stewards of Australian democracy.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: And so, social media is that largely to blame here?

ANDREW HASTIE: In this instance, I don't know, but generally, the temperature has gone up with social media, absolutely. The worst side of our character is brought out by social media. It's increasingly emotional, so people react with their emotions rather than their reason, and I think that's a big problem. I think getting out there, getting out on the street, saying g'day to your neighbour and engaging with people from other sides of life is actually a really important part of our democracy. And the more we're sitting in our bedrooms or on our phones, seeing the world through social media, I think we're going to see more of this, frankly.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: Andrew Hastie is my guest this morning, Liberal member for Canning. I keep reading from this ASIO statement. It says polarisation, frustration, and perceived injustices are growing, and ASIO anticipates an increase in politically motivated violence, including terrorism, across all ideological spectrums. It goes on to say attacks are likely to occur with little or no warning and will be difficult to detect. I just wonder, is it a bit fraught? Do you worry about your safety and your security and that of your families as someone in the public domain, as a politician?

ANDREW HASTIE: Yeah, I do. It's always in the back of my mind, Nadia, I won't lie to you, which is why I stay fit and I take precautions. You have to. Our MPs and senators are very vulnerable in many respects. I mean, there's increased security for some of us, but not all. I remember when I was living up in Shenton Park, and I was still a member of the SAS, and I lived down the street from Julie Bishop's office. She was a senior figure in the Coalition, and I'd often see her come out of her office and get in the car, and I thought to myself, "who's protecting her?" That's almost 15, 16 years ago. We're now at a point where political violence is on the increase, and we're still catching up with our security measures. So, it's definitely a risk.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: Well, I mean, Andrew Hastie, a couple of months ago, you were advised by the Home Affairs Minister, that you were getting extra security because of threats against you, and from what I'd read, you were not told what those threats were. But was that a surprise to you, or was that something that had been playing on the back of your mind?

ANDREW HASTIE: I knew about it. We're getting all sorts of correspondence through our front door and on social media, and you see a lot of it, but it's the ones that you don't see that really concern you. I was called by the Minister for Home Affairs; I've been identified as a as an MP that needed increased security. We've gone through that process and it is concerning. I've got a young family. I'm in Western Australia – every day on the east coast, I spend two days in a plane. You're away a lot, and so it is a concern for us. But I believe in this country. I believe that democracy is really important. That's why I choose to keep going.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: So, the job's worth it?

ANDREW HASTIE: The job is worth it. I want my kids to have a better future. I want Australian kids across this country to have a better future, which is why my call to action today, if your listeners is, be a better steward of Australian democracy. The worst thing we can do right now is point fingers at our political opponents and say, see, it was something that they posted or something that they said. How can we each be better? Maybe don't like that nasty post or don't send that nasty comment or don't trash someone when you don't even know who they are. These are the sorts of things that we need to start reconsidering.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: Well, on that point, Andrew Hastie, I have to raise this because Pauline Hanson has said she's horrified and saddened by this attack, and that violence against any elected representative is never acceptable. But then we get a text like this from Kim in High Wycombe, who says, "Well, for a start, One Nation can remove all their satirical posts and cartoons against other politicians and just stop creating them. They're not funny. They are disturbing, and it does not show respect towards their fellow politicians". Now, you've been the subject of one of those cartoons. Is Kim, right?

ANDREW HASTIE: Look, I tend to agree with Kim, but I don't want to make a political point about One Nation here. This isn't a time to point the finger, as I said. I've made my views very clear about Pauline Hanson's cartoons, and her, and the way she expressed her views on me. But that's not appropriate for today. I will say that you know people like Rod Caddies, the WA One Nation leader – I've got a lot of respect for that guy. He called me up in the midst of all this, and said, "I'm not party to it. I don't support it". And so, for every political opponent or party, there's always an exception to the rule. Today is not about pointing fingers and saying One Nation bad, Liberals good. I just want to make clear to everyone on this radio, listening that we all need to be better in our own individual lives.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: Do you think people will look at what you're all going through at the moment and think, I don't want to enter politics? That it could put people off putting their hand up, and you need good people in Parliament, right?

ANDREW HASTIE: Yeah, absolutely. And frankly, I wouldn't blame people if they didn't go into it. I didn't know really what I was getting into, nor did my wife, Ruth, frankly, when we got elected in 2015. But we believe in our country, and that's why we do it. And we need other patriots who believe in Australian democracy, whether they're on the left or right of politics, to step up. I often talk about democracy as a garden. You've got to tend to a garden, you've got to pull out the weeds, you've got to water it, and right now we've got a lot of weeds growing and not a lot of watering. So, we need to make changes, and we need to nourish the garden, and we all have a role in that in that process.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: And nourishing that garden, I suspect, is not going to be something that will happen overnight. I mean, this is this is a work in progress I feel.

ANDREW HASTIE: I absolutely think so. And when you enfranchise everyone with a vote, that means everyone is responsible for the country. We have compulsory voting in this country, so everyone has got to be a better stewards of democracy.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: I appreciate you talking to me, Andrew Hastie. Thank you very much.

ANDREW HASTIE: Thanks, Nadia. Pleasure.

[ENDS]