Sean Kelly cautions attack on Helen Haines may not shift society’s response to violence against women

The former adviser to Julia Gillard argues that sudden national attention on such attacks often fails to produce lasting change, while warning of a cycle that silences women in public life.

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published25 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Sources2 outlets

In an op-ed published on October 25, former political adviser Sean Kelly has warned that the brutal attack on independent MP Helen Haines may not lead to meaningful change in how Australian society addresses violence against women, cautioning that the same forces that silence women often reassert themselves after moments of public outrage.

Writing in the Brisbane Times and WA Today, Kelly, a former adviser to Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, reflects on the national discussion that erupted after the attack on the member for Indi. He notes that there is “not yet agreement about facts” surrounding the event, but argues that the intensity of public reaction reveals a “deep well of anger, frustration, fear” rooted in longstanding failures to address violence against women.

Kelly points to what he calls a pattern in which women who speak out are ultimately silenced. He cites the #metoo movement as a “temporary shattering of the status quo” followed by a return to silence, and describes the “hideous media campaign waged against Brittany Higgins” and the use of defamation lawsuits to discourage women from coming forward.

He warns that the attack on Haines may further deter women from entering public life. “Women, who already face high barriers to participation in public life, will be further put off,” he writes. “There are other voices that will be silenced before they even begin to speak.”

Kelly also references recent comments by Nationals leader Matt Canavan, which Kelly describes as being about boys being driven to interact with toxic masculinity by a curriculum focused on respectful relationships and consent. He notes that experts such as Monash University professor Steven Roberts have described this as a “common manosphere manoeuvre.” Kelly argues that there is a catch-22 logic in which any action women take to demand respect is later “twisted into an excuse for treating them worse.”

Drawing on the work of journalist Richard Cooke and German historian Philipp Ruch, Kelly questions whether violence itself shocks society into change. He suggests it is possible that the attack will lead to reform, but equally possible that “violence only brings more violence.”

Despite the grim analysis, Kelly argues that resistance, through open debate, pushing back on social media, and acting against abuse, remains worthwhile, both for its potential to effect change and for the signal it sends that “nothing is inevitable.”

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Analysis

Why This Matters

The attack on a sitting federal MP has galvanised national debate about violence against women in Australia, a country where the issue has drawn repeated calls for action.
The op-ed by a former insider warns that without structural change, public outrage may subside without meaningful reform, potentially discouraging more women from political participation.
The piece connects the attack to wider patterns of silencing women in public life, linking the threat of violence to legal and media campaigns.

Background

Sean Kelly is a former adviser to prime ministers Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd and the author of The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison. His column appears in Nine Entertainment newspapers. The attack on Helen Haines, the independent MP for the Victorian seat of Indi, occurred in late October 2026, but details remain contested. Haines, 65, was reported to be in critical condition at the time. The incident prompted widespread discussion about the safety of female politicians and the political climate in which such attacks occur.

Key Perspectives

Sean Kelly: Argues that the attack may not lead to lasting change, pointing to a history of violence against women in which public outcry fails to produce reform. He warns that women may be further deterred from participating in public life and that society may be in a cycle where “violence only brings more violence.”

Matt Canavan (as reported by Kelly): The Nationals leader has said that boys are driven to interact with toxic masculinity by a curriculum focused on respectful relationships and consent.

Professor Steven Roberts (Monash University, as reported by Kelly): Characterises Canavan’s comments as a “common manosphere manoeuvre,” in which demands for respect are blamed for men’s failure to show it.

What to Watch

Whether the attack on Haines leads to any concrete policy or legislative changes regarding the safety of elected officials or broader measures to address violence against women.
The trajectory of public discourse: will the current focus be sustained, or will attention fade as Kelly suggests it has after previous incidents?
Any further reporting on the facts of the attack, as Kelly notes there is not yet agreement on what happened.

Sources

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe attack on Helen Haines may not shift society’s response to violence against women.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Don’t assume the attack on Helen Haines will change anything. That’s the quickest way to ensure it doesn’t.”
SupportedSean Kelly argues that sudden national attention on attacks often fails to produce lasting change.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “If we assume that a high-profile attack on a woman, universally decried, will shift things, we need only look at the history of violence against women.”
SupportedKelly warns that a cycle of silencing women may reassert itself after public attention.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “this was only a temporary shattering of the status quo before great efforts resumed to return those voices to silence.”
SupportedThe op-ed was published on October 25.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Sean Kelly Columnist October 25, 2026 — 3:30pm”
Not in the sourcesHelen Haines is an independent MP for Indi.
SupportedKelly says there is “not yet agreement about facts” surrounding the attack.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “That is an event on which there is not yet agreement about facts”
SupportedKelly describes a “deep well of anger, frustration, fear” in the public reaction.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “a deep well of anger, frustration, fear.”
SupportedKelly says the #metoo movement was a “temporary shattering of the status quo” followed by efforts to silence those voices again.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “this was only a temporary shattering of the status quo before great efforts resumed to return those voices to silence.”
SupportedKelly says women already facing high barriers to public-life participation will be further put off, and that other voices will be silenced before speaking.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “women, who already face high barriers to participation in public life, will be further put off. That there are other voices that will be silenced before they even begin to speak.”
SupportedKelly describes Matt Canavan’s comments as concerning boys being driven to toxic masculinity by a curriculum focused on respectful relationships and consent.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Or take Nationals leader Matt Canavan’s recent comments about boys being driven to interact with toxic masculinity by a curriculum focused on respectful relationships and consent.”
SupportedKelly says Monash University professor Steven Roberts points to a “common manosphere manoeuvre.”Brisbane Times - Latest News: “as experts such as Monash University’s professor Steven Roberts point out, a common manosphere manoeuvre.”
SupportedKelly says an attack like this could lead to change, but violence could also bring more violence.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “It is possible that an attack like the one against Helen Haines will make us change our ways. But it is also possible that we live in a society in which violence is increasingly permissible, and in which violence only brings more violence.”

Correction

25 October 2026An earlier version of this story presented Sean Kelly’s paraphrase of Matt Canavan’s comments as a direct quotation from Canavan. The wording was Kelly’s summary, not a verified quotation from Canavan.