Left-wing campaigner Hannah Ferguson has faced tough questions from 2GB presenter James Willis over what he described as an apparent shift in her position on political violence following the alleged targeted attack on independent MP Helen Haines.
In the aftermath of the 2025 assassination of conservative American activist Charlie Kirk, the 28-year-old Australian commentator asked whether violence could, in some circumstances, be justified.
Her latest remarks appeared to sit uneasily alongside those earlier comments after Haines was allegedly assaulted outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, in northern Victoria, on Monday afternoon.
Haines, the federal member for Indi, has undergone an amputation to one leg while medical staff work to save the other. She remains in critical condition in hospital.
Appearing on Seven’s Sunrise on Tuesday, Ferguson called for a return to measured political debate and respectful public discussion.
“When we talk about lowering the temperature, healthy debate and respectful discourse are a major part of that,” she said. Ferguson added that Haines had not been someone who participated in what she considered unhealthy political debate.
She acknowledged that social media can fuel harmful rhetoric, but argued the alleged attack also needed to be viewed within the wider context of violence against women in Australia.
Willis pointed to a post Ferguson published on Substack and Instagram in the hours after Kirk was shot dead in September 2025, suggesting it conflicted with her current condemnation of political violence.
Left-wing activist Hannah Ferguson (pictured) has been accused of taking an apparently inconsistent position on political violence after the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines
Following the 2025 assassination of right-wing US activist Charlie Kirk (pictured), the 28-year-old Australian influencer questioned whether every instance of violence should be condemned
Independent MP Helen Haines (pictured) was allegedly assaulted outside her Wangaratta electorate office in northern Victoria on Monday afternoon
In that post, Ferguson questioned whether every act of political violence had to be condemned and asked whether violent beliefs should ever be confronted with force. She also claimed the political right was using Kirk’s death to create a martyr figure.
Ferguson wrote that while she was relieved Kirk could no longer promote what she described as extremist messaging, she was not pleased that he had been shot. She nevertheless argued that he had contributed to the environment that led to his death, caused more harm than good and that violence could sometimes be necessary.
During Tuesday’s edition of his 2GB Drive program, Willis told Ferguson he had read the post as coming close to celebrating Kirk’s death.
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“People have rightly pointed out what appears to be a major contradiction,” Willis said, contrasting her criticism of the alleged attack on Haines and the role of social media with her earlier statement that she was glad Kirk could no longer spread his message and that violence was sometimes necessary.
He warned that such comments could prove damaging if Ferguson intended to challenge Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or seek elected office in the future.
Ferguson rejected the comparison, arguing that Kirk had built a public profile and commercial platform around what she characterised as incitement, while Haines was a community leader serving her constituents.
She said history showed that violence had, on occasion, been used in conflicts against oppressive forces, including during wars and other struggles.
However, Ferguson insisted she did not support political violence and said her original post had made clear that she neither endorsed nor celebrated the shooting.
Ferguson defended her earlier comments during Tuesday’s interview with 2GB Drive host James Willis
Willis (pictured) said ‘people have highlighted rightly that there is a huge contradiction’ in Ferguson’s comments
Earlier this year, Ferguson announced she would be contesting for the lower house seat of Grayndler, in the inner-west of Sydney, as an independent.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has held the electorate since 1996 and Grayndler has been a Labor stronghold since it was formed in 1949.
At the 2025 election, Albanese won 66 per cent of votes.
Announcing her candidacy in June, Ferguson wrote online: ‘I believe we deserve better representation.’
‘I’m not here to play politics, that is just another reason Australians are fed up with the political party machinery.’
Ferguson has previously outlined her priorities for the seat, describing what she calls the ‘three Gs’, gas, gambling and Gaza.
