Mark Dreyfus continued:

[I pay tribute to] Zoe Daniel, the former member for Goldstein for the integrity with which she conducted her campaign.

She ran on ideas, on values and on service to her community.

Despite this, her campaign was at times, deeply personal and harrowing.

A respected journalist and parliamentarian, she faced a level of hostility no candidate should ever have to endure. She was subjected to vile abuse on the street, including misogynistic slurs. She had to report incidents of stalking and harassment to the police. Her car was identified online. She feared being followed home, and in the final week of the campaign, she needed the protection of the Australian Federal Police.

The hostility also extended to her volunteers and staff, who were intimidated at booths and endured a barrage of personal attacks online and in person through it all.

Ms Daniel refused to retaliate. She focused on policy and principle. Her campaign was a model of integrity and her resilience in the face of such adversity deserves recognition and respect from all sides of politics.

One reported incident also involved Mr. Wilson himself as a candidate for public office. He shouted at a member of Ms Daniels staff as she returned to her car, ‘enjoy your last week‘.

It was a comment intended to intimidate behavior unbecoming of anyone seeking to serve in our national parliament. I’m sure he would not accept such treatment if it were directed at him. And the behavior did not end with the campaign. It carried into the prolonged counting process where Mr. Wilson’s campaign scrutineers were encouraged to intimidate, distract and use stand over tactics against Ms Daniels, scrutineers, the behavior of liberal volunteers and Mr. Wilson at polling booths in Goldstein, including those shared with Isaacs shows how quickly abuse and intimidation can erode confidence in our democracy.