Australians pride themselves on a laidback nature and the ability to not take things too seriously, and a healthy disregard for authority has been part of our DNA dating back to the earliest days of the colony.

Added to a sense of egalitarianism passed down through the generations, this has meant we have been quick to cut down anyone seen as getting too big for their boots.

It has been in this context that politicians have borne the brunt of [at times] unfair criticism and even mockery from everyone from the man in the pub to high-paid political satirists and cartoonists.

But a handful of recent events means it is time for us to take stock of our treatment of politicians and ask whether they are really getting the respect they deserve.

It is no small thing to put your hand up to serve your community in politics. Many of the MPs in parliaments across Australia – from the prime minister down – are earning far less in public service than they could possibly earn in the private sector.

In return, though, they subject themselves and their families to the sort of scrutiny that would be unimaginable if they remained working in the private sector, and signing on as an MP means signing on to serve an insatiable 24-hour news cycle that decides if and when you will get a break.

Increasingly, too, it seems signing on as an MP means signing on for verbal abuse and, in some cases, even worse.

Just this week we have seen two men charged over alleged death threats against Deputy Premier Troy Grant for his role in the state government’s push to ban greyhound racing, while Victorian MP Jane Garrett was physically attacked as she walked along a suburban street in Melbourne, apparently over her performance as the former emergency services minister.

These incidents come just two months after we were asking ourselves whether the murder of British MP Jo Cox – a vocal opponent the push to remove Great Britain from the European Union – could happen here.

There is nothing wrong with hard questioning of MPs, nor is there an issue with sometimes reminding them that they work for the people. A strong democracy requires that MPs are held to account.

But when we lose respect for the office of member of parliament we risk losing our way as a nation. If we respect our country, we must respect – and protect – our MPs.