The first piece Helen Haines wrote for The Saturday Paper coincided with the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, a reform for which she was centrally responsible and a measure of her effectiveness and her sincere commitment to integrity.

She wrote with shaky optimism about a commission that would disappoint her.

“This week was a turning point in the struggle for integrity in federal politics,” she wrote. “We must keep moving, be ever vigilant and never stop working to be better.”

Those three entreaties are the model for her work in politics. It is what makes her different. She does not stop. She is immune to indulgence. She knows how much more there is to do.

This week is another turning point. The attack on her is an attack on democracy. It will change our politics and change the country.

Haines has lost both her legs. Her husband says her heart and mind remain strong.…