Australia news LIVE: Haines tributes to open parliamentary proceedings today; One in three households experiencing food insecurity, new research finds

Emily KaineUpdated October 26, 2026 — 7:17am,first published 6:45amKey PostsWhat’s making news todayBy Emily KaineHello and welcome back to our live coverage of national and world news this Monday, October 26. Here’s what you need to know today. Helen Haines’ condition was downgraded from critical to serious but stable over the weekend after surgeons amputated both her legs last week. The Indi MP was struck by a car in an alleged intentional attack outside her office in north-east Victoria on Monday afternoon. New vision has emerged showing the moments before two police officers arrested the 43-year-old Wangaratta man accused of allegedly mowing down Haines. Vision obtained by Nine News shows Brendan Nugent in a previous altercation with police. Federal MPs will return to parliament today, with tribute speeches for Haines set to open this week’s parliamentary proceedings. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver a tribute speech later this morning, and is expected to be followed by many of his colleagues.Parliament will also debate Labor’s proposed Digital Duty of Care laws, which will allow social media users to shut off their algorithms and sue big tech platforms for harm they experience online. Whether the bill will pass remains unclear as it faces significant backlash from tech companies and the US administration. The bill is also facing a Senate inquiry. And one in three households are going hungry as the cost-of-living crisis hits Australians, new research by Foodbank has found, while many people are reducing meal portions to make ends meet. Latest Posts7.17amPlibersek: Parliamentarians can engage in robust debate without ‘cruelty’By Emily KaineSocial Services Minister Tanya Plibersek says parliamentarians can engage in “robust” debate without meanness or cruelty as MPs are being urged to consider signing a civility pledge which had been backed solely by Helen Haines before she was attacked last week. She told Seven’s Sunrise this morning that the attack on Haines had to be “a turning point” in how politics was done in Australia. “It is really possible to have strong debate about issues without any censorship, and not be mean, and not be cruel, and not inflame things,” Plibersek said. Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek.Alex EllinghausenShe said it was incumbent on everyone in every sector to consider how they could be more decent to the people around them. “It’s not just about politicians, of course it’s not. What we’re hearing is that teachers and principals and shop assistants and flight attendants and the kids who are reffing sport on the weekend are being abused just for doing their jobs. Surely all of us have a role to play.“In your own behaviour, as you’re going about your business, as you’re walking into a shop, or you’re getting impatient when you, you know, waiting in a queue for too long, just think: Can I do this better? Can I be kinder to the people around me?”6.58amHeightened security as MPs return to CanberraBy Emily KaineExtra security measures will be in place at Parliament House today as politicians return for another sitting week nearly seven days after an attack on independent MP Helen Haines rocked the nation. Parliamentarians will be met with increased security, including in committee rooms, upon their return to Canberra. Helen Haines’ condition has been downgraded to serious but stable as she remains in hospital after the attack. Jason RobinsMeanwhile, the Albanese government is considering fast-tracking the recommendations of an inquiry into support for MPs as part of a plan to bolster security following the attack on Helen Haines. The bolstered security measures are one of several options on the table this week in response to MP anxieties over security. 6.43amMPs urged to sign civility pledge, parliament to open with Haines tributesBy Paul SakkalFederal MPs will be urged to sign a civility pledge that MP Helen Haines alone had backed before she was attacked, though One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has hit out at critics who say her party’s cartoons are contributing to the febrile environment.The case for a calmer debate was given weight yesterday when Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett drew a direct link between inflamed rhetoric and the rise in violent threats.A day after Haines’ condition improved from critical to serious but stable, Barrett said police were being inundated with serious threats to parliamentarians that led to one person a week being charged. She announced that authorities were probing the mental health and political views of the alleged attacker.Floral tributes outside Helen Haines’ electorate office in Wangaratta on Thursday.Eddie JimPoliticians return to Canberra today, when most of the day will be spent on tributes for the widely respected MP. Labor is also planning to fast-track a set of security upgrades from an ongoing review into the safety of politicians, as reported last week, which is expected to be discussed in cabinet this morning.Speaker of the House Milton Dick will invite MPs to speak about Haines’ incident today. Independent MPs who are close to Haines want colleagues to sign a “civility pledge” suggested by a group called Compassion in Politics Australia and inspired by a similar push by the family of British MP Jo Cox, who was murdered in 2016. Haines was the first MP to sign the pledge, before her attack.6.31amVenezuela opposition leader and Nobel laureate Machado returns home from exileBy Caracas: Opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado reappeared in Venezuela for the first time since December, returning from exile at a time when doubts about the country’s democratic future – and the role of the US – are growing.It was her first appearance since the US military deposed the country’s then-president Nicolás Maduro in January, replacing him with an interim president.Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.APMachado announced her arrival on social media, writing, “I am here. With you.”On Sunday afternoon (Venezuela time), she strode into a church in the state of Lara, west of Caracas, to the applause of dozens gathered there.What’s making news todayBy Emily KaineHello and welcome back to our live coverage of national and world news this Monday, October 26. Here’s what you need to know today. Helen Haines’ condition was downgraded from critical to serious but stable over the weekend after surgeons amputated both her legs last week. The Indi MP was struck by a car in an alleged intentional attack outside her office in north-east Victoria on Monday afternoon. New vision has emerged showing the moments before two police officers arrested the 43-year-old Wangaratta man accused of allegedly mowing down Haines. Vision obtained by Nine News shows Brendan Nugent in a previous altercation with police. Federal MPs will return to parliament today, with tribute speeches for Haines set to open this week’s parliamentary proceedings. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver a tribute speech later this morning, and is expected to be followed by many of his colleagues.Parliament will also debate Labor’s proposed Digital Duty of Care laws, which will allow social media users to shut off their algorithms and sue big tech platforms for harm they experience online. Whether the bill will pass remains unclear as it faces significant backlash from tech companies and the US administration. The bill is also facing a Senate inquiry. And one in three households are going hungry as the cost-of-living crisis hits Australians, new research by Foodbank has found, while many people are reducing meal portions to make ends meet. 1 of 1