Mandate First Aid Kits for all MPs, Our First Representatives in Government. Helen’s Rule.
The issue
First Aid for the First Point of Call for each of our representation across Councils, State and Territory Governments, and The Federal Government. “Helen’s Rule”
A National Petition for Mandatory First Aid Kits and AED Defibrillators in the Work Vehicles of All of Australia’s Elected Representatives
ATTN: To the Australian Government, State and Territory Governments, and Parliamentary Authorities Across Australia:
On 19 October 2026, our nation was shaken by the horrific alleged attack against Dr Helen Haines MP, the Federal Member for Indi, outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria.
The devastating circumstances surrounding this incident serve as a stark reminder that our elected representatives, their families, and their parliamentary staff are human beings first and foremost, deserving of the same fundamental safety, dignity, and protection as every other Australian.
Whether you support their politics or not, their lives matter.
Our parliamentarians serve as the elected voices of our communities. They are entrusted with the responsibility of shaping legislation, representing their constituents, and safeguarding the continued functioning of our nation’s precious democracy.
Their work frequently takes them beyond the safety of Parliament House and their electorate offices, into regional towns, remote communities, public gatherings, busy streets, and countless other environments where unexpected emergencies can occur.
No person should have to live or work in fear of violence, intimidation, or threats to their physical safety. That includes our elected representatives, their families, and their staff.
Our Call for Action
We call upon the Australian Federal Government and every State and Territory Government to introduce and fully fund a mandatory national first aid and emergency preparedness standard for the official work vehicles of elected parliamentarians.
We petition for the following measures:
• That this Health and Safety Rule be known as ‘Helen’s Rule’ - making it a health and safety requirement by law for those of all elected political offices in Australia.
•Mandatory Comprehensive First Aid Kits: Every parliamentary work vehicle must carry a properly secured, readily accessible, and regularly maintained first aid kit, including appropriate emergency trauma supplies for managing life-threatening bleeding.
•Mandatory Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs): Every parliamentary work vehicle must be equipped with a portable, approved AED, appropriately stored and maintained in accordance with manufacturer safety requirements.
•Government Funding and Ongoing Maintenance: Federal, State, and Territory Governments must provide dedicated funding for the purchase, installation or secure storage, inspection, servicing, and replacement of all required emergency equipment.
First Aid and CPR Training: Elected representatives and relevant parliamentary staff must receive funded, nationally recognised first aid and CPR training, including practical instruction in AED operation and emergency bleeding control, with regular refresher training.
•Community Emergency Assistance: Where circumstances are safe and appropriate, this equipment should also be available to assist members of the public experiencing a medical emergency, accident, or serious injury, while awaiting professional emergency services.
Protecting Our Representatives. Protecting Our Communities.
This proposal is not simply about protecting politicians. It is about recognising that elected representatives and their staffers regularly travel throughout the very communities they have been elected to serve.
A Member of Parliament travelling through a regional town may witness a serious road accident.
A parliamentary staffer attending a community event may encounter someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.
A representative visiting a remote electorate may be present when a person sustains a life-threatening injury, far from the nearest hospital or ambulance station.
In each of these circumstances, immediate access to appropriate emergency equipment could mean the difference between life and death.
An AED can help save someone experiencing cardiac arrest. Proper first aid equipment can assist with controlling serious bleeding and providing immediate care until emergency services arrive.
These are not political luxuries. They are practical, potentially lifesaving precautions.
We should not have to wait for another tragedy before taking action.
Democracy Is Worth Protecting — And So Are the People Who Uphold It
Our elected representatives come from different political parties, backgrounds, communities, and walks of life. We may disagree passionately with their policies, their decisions, or their political beliefs. But political disagreement must never diminish our collective respect for human life.
Every Australian deserves to go to work and return home safely.
That fundamental principle must extend to those who dedicate their working lives to public representation and democratic service.
The events involving Dr Helen Haines MP should inspire more than expressions of sympathy and condemnation. They should prompt meaningful, constructive, and lasting improvements to the safety and emergency preparedness of those who serve our nation.
While no first aid kit or AED can prevent an act of violence, having the right equipment available in the critical moments following an emergency can help protect life.
And by equipping parliamentary work vehicles with these resources, we have an opportunity to extend that protection beyond Parliament itself and into the communities our representatives serve.
A Precaution Today. A Life Saved Tomorrow.
Australia’s democracy belongs to all of us.
Protecting the people who represent it, while strengthening emergency preparedness in our communities, should be a responsibility shared across every political divide.
We therefore call upon all Australian governments to establish and fund this national standard without unnecessary delay.
First Aid for Our First Representatives.
Because every life matters. Every second counts. And every Australian deserves the opportunity to survive an emergency.
Please sign and share this petition to support a safer, better-prepared Australia — for our representatives, their staff, their families, and the communities they serve.
14
The issue
First Aid for the First Point of Call for each of our representation across Councils, State and Territory Governments, and The Federal Government. “Helen’s Rule”
A National Petition for Mandatory First Aid Kits and AED Defibrillators in the Work Vehicles of All of Australia’s Elected Representatives
ATTN: To the Australian Government, State and Territory Governments, and Parliamentary Authorities Across Australia:
On 19 October 2026, our nation was shaken by the horrific alleged attack against Dr Helen Haines MP, the Federal Member for Indi, outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria.
The devastating circumstances surrounding this incident serve as a stark reminder that our elected representatives, their families, and their parliamentary staff are human beings first and foremost, deserving of the same fundamental safety, dignity, and protection as every other Australian.
Whether you support their politics or not, their lives matter.
Our parliamentarians serve as the elected voices of our communities. They are entrusted with the responsibility of shaping legislation, representing their constituents, and safeguarding the continued functioning of our nation’s precious democracy.
Their work frequently takes them beyond the safety of Parliament House and their electorate offices, into regional towns, remote communities, public gatherings, busy streets, and countless other environments where unexpected emergencies can occur.
No person should have to live or work in fear of violence, intimidation, or threats to their physical safety. That includes our elected representatives, their families, and their staff.
Our Call for Action
We call upon the Australian Federal Government and every State and Territory Government to introduce and fully fund a mandatory national first aid and emergency preparedness standard for the official work vehicles of elected parliamentarians.
We petition for the following measures:
• That this Health and Safety Rule be known as ‘Helen’s Rule’ - making it a health and safety requirement by law for those of all elected political offices in Australia.
•Mandatory Comprehensive First Aid Kits: Every parliamentary work vehicle must carry a properly secured, readily accessible, and regularly maintained first aid kit, including appropriate emergency trauma supplies for managing life-threatening bleeding.
•Mandatory Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs): Every parliamentary work vehicle must be equipped with a portable, approved AED, appropriately stored and maintained in accordance with manufacturer safety requirements.
•Government Funding and Ongoing Maintenance: Federal, State, and Territory Governments must provide dedicated funding for the purchase, installation or secure storage, inspection, servicing, and replacement of all required emergency equipment.
First Aid and CPR Training: Elected representatives and relevant parliamentary staff must receive funded, nationally recognised first aid and CPR training, including practical instruction in AED operation and emergency bleeding control, with regular refresher training.
•Community Emergency Assistance: Where circumstances are safe and appropriate, this equipment should also be available to assist members of the public experiencing a medical emergency, accident, or serious injury, while awaiting professional emergency services.
Protecting Our Representatives. Protecting Our Communities.
This proposal is not simply about protecting politicians. It is about recognising that elected representatives and their staffers regularly travel throughout the very communities they have been elected to serve.
A Member of Parliament travelling through a regional town may witness a serious road accident.
A parliamentary staffer attending a community event may encounter someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.
A representative visiting a remote electorate may be present when a person sustains a life-threatening injury, far from the nearest hospital or ambulance station.
In each of these circumstances, immediate access to appropriate emergency equipment could mean the difference between life and death.
An AED can help save someone experiencing cardiac arrest. Proper first aid equipment can assist with controlling serious bleeding and providing immediate care until emergency services arrive.
These are not political luxuries. They are practical, potentially lifesaving precautions.
We should not have to wait for another tragedy before taking action.
Democracy Is Worth Protecting — And So Are the People Who Uphold It
Our elected representatives come from different political parties, backgrounds, communities, and walks of life. We may disagree passionately with their policies, their decisions, or their political beliefs. But political disagreement must never diminish our collective respect for human life.
Every Australian deserves to go to work and return home safely.
That fundamental principle must extend to those who dedicate their working lives to public representation and democratic service.
The events involving Dr Helen Haines MP should inspire more than expressions of sympathy and condemnation. They should prompt meaningful, constructive, and lasting improvements to the safety and emergency preparedness of those who serve our nation.
While no first aid kit or AED can prevent an act of violence, having the right equipment available in the critical moments following an emergency can help protect life.
And by equipping parliamentary work vehicles with these resources, we have an opportunity to extend that protection beyond Parliament itself and into the communities our representatives serve.
A Precaution Today. A Life Saved Tomorrow.
Australia’s democracy belongs to all of us.
Protecting the people who represent it, while strengthening emergency preparedness in our communities, should be a responsibility shared across every political divide.
We therefore call upon all Australian governments to establish and fund this national standard without unnecessary delay.
First Aid for Our First Representatives.
Because every life matters. Every second counts. And every Australian deserves the opportunity to survive an emergency.
Please sign and share this petition to support a safer, better-prepared Australia — for our representatives, their staff, their families, and the communities they serve.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 29 October 2026