Independent MP Helen Haines is fighting for her life after being struck by a car outside her electorate office in regional Victoria on Monday, in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called a "deliberate act."
The 65-year-old federal member for Indi was unloading items from the boot of her car in a parking bay on Murphy Street, Wangaratta, at about 3:35pm local time when a white Toyota Land Cruiser struck her. A witness told the ABC they heard a loud bang and saw a woman pinned between two vehicles. Haines was airlifted to Melbourne for emergency treatment and remains in a critical condition with severe lower-body injuries.
A deliberate attack, police say
Victoria Police arrested a 43-year-old man from Tarrawingee at the scene after a passer-by detained him. A knife was found and seized from inside the Toyota, and investigators are examining whether the act was intentional. The man, reported to be known to police, will undergo a mental-health assessment. Police say it is not yet known whether the suspect and Haines knew each other, and that there is no ongoing threat to the wider community.
Albanese, visibly emotional in an ABC 7.30 interview, said: "This wasn't an accident" — but added it was too early to determine a motive. A "major police investigation" is under way involving the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police, ASIO and the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team. The prime minister said he was not aware of any individual threats against Haines personally.
Threats against politicians at record levels
The attack follows a sharp rise in threats against Australian politicians. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said there were 1,067 reports of "harassing and threatening behaviour" against high office holders in the 2025-26 financial year, up from 951 the year before. AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said in 2025 that threats against parliamentarians had doubled over the previous three years.
The BBC reports a grim catalogue of recent incidents: Albanese himself was evacuated from his official residence earlier this year over a bomb threat; politicians have been mailed bullets; female MPs — and in some cases their children — have been threatened with sexual violence; a Jewish MP's office was firebombed; and a Sydney mayor's car was torched. Just last week, Small Business Minister Anne Aly received a wave of death threats after an opposition politician said she should be "shamed and stoned in the square" over a tax policy.
Deakin University extremism expert Josh Roose said Australians could no longer treat political violence as something that happens elsewhere: "We tend to bury our head in the sand and say, 'Not here', but this has been happening now for well over a decade."
An outpouring of support
Haines's family said she was "receiving medical care" and thanked bystanders, health workers and police. Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the attack "shocking and deeply disturbing"; Victorian Premier Ben Carroll said he was "deeply appalled"; Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said Australians would be "angry and appalled", adding: "Our nation cannot become a place where violent attacks are normalised."
Albanese described Haines as "incredibly hard-working... fiercely intelligent... a thoroughly decent human being full of integrity and respected right across the Parliament," and urged the political "temperature" to be turned down: "There's no place for political violence in a democracy."
The takeaway: A targeted attack on a sitting MP — amid a record wave of threats — has forced Australia to confront political violence as a domestic reality, not someone else's problem.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: CNN; Al Jazeera; The Straits Times; Anadolu Agency.