Helen Haines is in critical condition in a Melbourne hospital after being struck by a vehicle outside her constituency office in Wangaratta, Victoria, on Monday afternoon. Police reported that a white Toyota Landcruiser hit Haines at 15:35.
A 43-year-old man from the nearby town of Tarrawingee was detained at the scene. Haines was initially transported to a hospital in Wangaratta before being moved to Melbourne by helicopter.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated, "This wasn't an accident. There was a deliberate act, it would appear." Albanese added that there is no place for violence in a democracy.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation previously warned that the risk of politically motivated violence was already flashing red. Tony Burke noted that reports of harassing or threatening behaviour towards politicians rose from 951 to 1,067 over the last year.
Haines, who was elected in 2019, proposed legislation for a national anti-corruption watchdog in 2021. Allegra Spender described the victim as "the best of us."
