Australian lawmaker Helen Haines is in critical condition following a deliberate car strike outside her Wangaratta office, confirmed by local police and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday. Haines, aged 65, was promptly airlifted to a hospital, as stated by Albanese. The incident, deemed intentional, remains under investigation for motive, according to Albanese speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Victoria Police reported the arrest of a 43-year-old man for the attack on the Independent MP in Wangaratta, located approximately 200 kilometers northeast of Melbourne. A knife was discovered and confiscated from inside the vehicle involved, as confirmed by the police. Victoria Police acting superintendent Ashley Mason assured the public of no further threats.
Albanese mentioned that the motive behind the attack is yet to be determined, with a terrorism taskforce assigned to investigate the arrested suspect. Haines’s family expressed gratitude for the swift aid from bystanders, healthcare professionals, and law enforcement, as communicated in a statement on her Facebook page.
First elected to represent the electoral division of Indi in 2019, Haines now faces a concerning trend in Australia, where over 1,000 threats of violence against public figures were reported in the past year. The Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett noted a doubling of threats against parliamentarians in the last three years, with data showing a significant increase in threats directed at politicians during the 2025-26 financial year, as highlighted by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Monday.
