Left-wing commentator Hannah Ferguson has faced criticism from 2GB presenter James Willis, who accused her of taking an inconsistent position on political violence following the alleged targeted attack on independent MP Helen Haines.
The 28-year-old Australian influencer previously sparked controversy after the assassination of conservative US activist Charlie Kirk, when she questioned whether violence could, in some circumstances, be justified.
Her latest remarks appeared to present a different stance after Helen Haines was allegedly assaulted outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, northern Victoria, on Monday afternoon.
Haines, the federal member for Indi, has undergone an amputation and remains in a critical condition as doctors work to save her other leg.
Appearing on Seven’s Sunrise on Tuesday, Ferguson called for political discussions to be conducted with greater respect and restraint.
“When we talk about lowering the temperature, healthy debate and respectful discourse are a major part of that,” Ferguson said. “But I also want to stress that Helen Haines was not someone who engaged in unhealthy debate.”
She acknowledged that social media can fuel hostile rhetoric, but said the alleged attack also highlighted what she described as the wider problem of male violence against women in Australia.
Willis argued that Ferguson’s comments conflicted with a statement she published on Substack and Instagram after Kirk was fatally shot in September 2025.
Left-wing activist Hannah Ferguson (pictured) has been accused of taking an inconsistent position on political violence following the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines
After right-wing US activist Charlie Kirk (pictured) was assassinated last year, the 28-year-old Australian influencer questioned whether every instance of violence should be condemned
Independent MP Helen Haines (pictured) was allegedly attacked outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, northern Victoria, on Monday afternoon
In that post, Ferguson asked whether all political violence should be condemned and whether violent beliefs should be answered with violence. She also wrote that, as those questions were being debated, conservatives were working to turn Kirk into a political martyr.
“Am I relieved Charlie Kirk can no longer promote his extremist messaging? Yes,” she wrote. “Am I pleased that someone shot him in the neck in broad daylight? No. Do I believe he helped create the conditions for the violence that ended his life? Yes. Do I believe he caused more harm than good? Yes. Is violence sometimes necessary? Yes.”
During Tuesday’s edition of his 2GB Drive program, Willis told Ferguson that he viewed the post as coming close to celebrating Kirk’s death.
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He said critics had reasonably pointed to what they saw as a contradiction between her current condemnation of the alleged attack on Haines and her earlier comments expressing relief that Kirk could no longer spread what she called extremist messages, while also stating that violence could sometimes be necessary.
“If you intend to challenge the prime minister one day and seek public office, this is surely not the kind of statement you would want to repeat,” Willis said.
Ferguson rejected the comparison, arguing that Kirk was a public figure who, in her view, built a commercial enterprise around profiting from incitement, while Haines was a community leader.
She said her comments referred to historical situations in which violence had been used to resist oppression or fight wars.
“I do not support political violence,” Ferguson said. “I made clear in the piece that I did not support, condone or celebrate it in any way.”
Ferguson defended her position during a Tuesday interview with 2GB presenter 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.
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