Independent MP Helen Haines has suffered critical injuries after being struck in an alleged “deliberate” and “violent attack” by a four-wheel-drive outside her electorate office in regional Victoria, with a 43-year-old man arrested and a knife seized from his vehicle.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed a suspect was in custody during an urgent press conference on Monday evening, revealing a major police investigation was underway and the joint counter-terrorism team had been activated.
“There is a major police investigation underway, and I can confirm that a suspect is in custody,” the PM said.
“The Australian Federal Police, Victorian Police, and ASIO are working together on this.
“It is too early in this investigation for me to provide you with details of what the motivation is behind this attack.”
While the PM warned against speculating about the motive he later described it as a “deliberate act” that “wasn’t an accident”.
“This wasn’t an accident. There was a deliberate act,” Mr Albanese told ABC’s 7.30 program.
Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason later confirmed Dr Haines was struck by a white Toyota Land Cruiser on Murphy Street in Wangaratta about 3.35pm on Monday.
She was rushed by road ambulance to Northeast Health Wangaratta and is expected to be airlifted to Melbourne for further treatment.
“That female has suffered what has been described as critical injuries,” Acting Supt Mason said.
Police confirmed the 43-year-old driver, from Tarrawingee, was detained by witnesses before officers arrived and arrested him.
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll echoed the PM’s concerns and labelled it a “violent attack” which was “devastating” for her Wangaratta community.
“I am deeply appalled by this violent attack on Helen Haines,” Mr Carroll said in a statement.
The attack comes just weeks before the Victorian State election, with politicians already out on the campaign trail in the community.
The accused driver remains in custody at Wangaratta Police Station, where he is expected to be interviewed by investigators.
“After the male was detained, there was a knife located, I believe, inside the vehicle that he was driving, and that has been seized by police,” Acting Supt Mason said.
“We’ve got quite an extensive crime scene. We have investigators present, and they’ll continue to work through and try and collect all available evidence to ascertain exactly what has occurred and how it has occurred.”
He said there was no indication the driver and Dr Haines knew each other, and police were treating the incident as isolated, with no known ongoing threat to the community.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke also addressed the incident, revealing reports of harassment and threatening behaviour towards high office holders had risen from 951 to 1067 in the most recent financial year.
Dr Haines was retrieving items from the boot of her car in a parking bay when she was struck.
A barber working nearby reportedly rushed to assist, helping a male driver out of the four-wheel-drive.
Acting Supt Mason praised the witnesses who helped detain the driver and assisted Dr Haines following the collision.
“This would have been a tragic, horrific incident for people to witness,” he said.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor described it as “a shocking day for our nation”.
“No one should be targeted in this way. Australians will be angry and appalled by the attack on Helen,” the Liberal leader said in a statement.
“Our nation cannot become a place where violent attacks are normalised.
“I’ve spoken with the Prime Minister, and we are united in our view that political violence must never be accepted as part of public life.”
Mr Albanese described her as a “thoroughly, decent human being” and said Australia was “praying for her full recovery”.
“Helen Haines is incredibly hardworking,” he said.
“She is fiercely intelligent, but most importantly, she’s just a thoroughly decent human being, full of integrity, and respected right across the Parliament.
“She is a well-loved member of her community, and this will come as an incredible shock to that community.”
Haines’ family release statement
Dr Haines’ family released a statement confirming she was receiving medical treatment.
“This afternoon, our beloved Helen was involved in an incident outside her Wangaratta Electorate Office, and is receiving medical care. We thank the swift assistance of bystanders and the dedicated health workers who assisted her, and police for their response,” they said.
“Our family, and Helen’s staff, will be making no further comment at this time, and ask that their privacy be respected by the public and media.
“Please keep Helen in your thoughts.”
Mr Albanese said the thoughts of the nation were with Dr Haines, her family and the wider community.
“All of our thoughts are with Helen, her family, her friends, her team, and her community at this extremely difficult time. We are praying for her full recovery,” he said.
Dr Haines, a mother of three, has represented the federal seat of Indi since 2019.
Politicians express support
Australian politicians from across parliament poured in support for Ms Haines on Monday evening.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said she was horrified to hear of the “apparent attack on my friend and colleague” and wished her a “full and speedy recovery”.
“I am horrified and saddened that Helen Haines has been seriously injured in an attack outside her electorate office in Wangaratta today,” she said.
“Violence against any elected representative, whoever they are and whatever they stand for, is never acceptable in Australia.
“Members of parliament and their staff must be able to serve their communities without fearing for their safety.”
Greens leader David Shoebridge also expressed his concern and wished her a complete recovery.
“Horrified to hear of the apparent attack on my friend and colleague Helen Haines,” Senator Shoebridge said.
“Helen is an extraordinary human being and brings people together like few others. In grief and solidarity wishing her a complete recovery.”
Fellow independent MP Monique Ryan described Ms Haines as a loved member of her community and the Australian Parliament. “She’s respected and loved by every person in our Parliament. Those of us lucky enough to know her are praying for Helen and her family, team and community tonight,” she said.
Those comments were echoed by Wentworth MP Allegra Spender who described her as “an inspiration” and a trailblazer for the independent movement, who held “enormous respect” in the Parliament.
Warringah MP Zali Steggall said she was “shocked and devastated” by the reports and expressed her support for her “wonderful, caring, smart and wise friend”.
Nationals MP Michael McCormack described it as “awful news”.
“Sending my love and best wishes to Helen Haines for a full and speedy recovery,” he said.
Growing fears over threats to Australian politicians
Mr Albanese said he regularly discussed the rising risks with his parliamentary colleagues and said the threat landscape “had changed” since he first entered politics.
“I think there has been a rise in temperature,” he told ABC’s 7.30 program.
“It has changed and there’s no question that social media is a part of that but so is the contest for clicks.
“The fact that things need to be reduced down to dramatic, all caps if you like, rather than any nuance.
“One of the things that we need to do, as a society, is have a debate.
“More debate and less shouting as it would be a good thing.”
It comes after several Australia MPs and public figures have sounded the alarm on death threats and abuse in recent weeks.
That included Communications Minister Anika Wells and Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek ,who have both been subject to death threats this term.
A man was arrested in December 2025 after Ms Wells had received an email from a man promising to kill not only her but to murder her three children, who are under the age of 10.
In an address to a Labor women in politics event last week, Ms Plibersek highlighted the growing threat against Australian politicians and referenced the attacks abroad.
“I think we like to tell ourselves that the political violence we see abroad could never happen here,” Ms Plibersek said.
“That an MP could never be bludgeoned to death in her home or shot in the street — as was the case in the tragic killings of Ann Widdicombe and Jo Cox.”
In July, former conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe was found dead in her Devon home, age 78.
UK Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and fatally stabbed in 2016 outside her constituency surgery in West Yorkshire with the murder deemed an act of terrorism.
“In the last year alone, at least half a dozen men have been arrested or charged for making threats against women in state or federal parliaments,” Ms Plibersek told the Emily’s List annual event.
“Nine in 10 female politicians in this country experience persistent abuse or intimidation for daring to participate in our democracy.
“For female representatives across party lines, weathering a constant barrage of online abuse is now considered part of the job.”
In an interview with The West Australian earlier this month, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett warned the number of parliamentarians receiving threatening communication had risen, particularly those from minority backgrounds and women.
“There are a number of particular parliamentarians that do have a greater volume of threatening communication,” she told The West.
Ms Barrett admitted it was also something she dealt with herself.
“I have had that as well as a senior prominent figure, particularly a law enforcement figure. Again, there has been some gender to that as well,” she said.
“At the end of the day, I have a job to do. I’m representing a whole workforce of incredible people that are working so hard every single day to protect this community.”
Tangney MP Sam Lim spoke out about the online racial abuse he has experienced as a Federal politician during a speech at the WA Chinese Cultural Festival on Saturday.
“What is happening in our country is very worrying,” he said.
“The white supremacy, the anti-migrant sentiment.
“On my social media, people wrote to me to ask me to go back to China. Instead, I’m from Malaysia.
“And people say I’m the Communist Party of China. I’m (in the) Labor Party of Australia.”
Mr Lim had told the festival the growing anti-migrant sentiment only made him more determined to contest the 2028 election.
Mr Albanese himself was evacuated from The Lodge by Australian Federal Police in February this year following a bomb scare targeting the Canberra official residence of the Prime Minister.
Anti-Chinese Communist Party newspaper Epoch Times reported that it was linked to a threat a Falun Gong-affiliated dance company received just days before a Shen Yun performance in Australia.
The news outlet claims the dance company had received Chinese-language emails which claimed nitroglycerin explosives had been placed around The Lodge.
The emails warned “blood will flow like a river” if Shen Yun performances continued on its planned date of February 25.
After sweeping the property, AFP officials deemed it safe and the Prime Minister was allowed to return, but the incident has prompted politicians to renew calls to “turn the temperature down”.
Mr Albanese’s Small Business Minister Anne Aly also revealed she had received 19 death threats in last week amid frustration over Labor’s credit card surcharge ban.
The MP for the WA seat of Cowan spoke about the threats after Gold Coast Liberal National MP Angie Bell had insisted during Parliamentary debate she should be “shamed and stoned in the square” over a decision made by the tax office before later withdrawing the comment.
“I don’t usually comment about these sorts of things, but I feel like I have to. This past week alone, I’ve had 19 death threats on my social media. And in the past I’ve had death threats that are couched in that exact same language: stone her,” she told followers.
Ms Bells’ comments were also condemned by Ms Plibersek at a press conference in Canberra on Wednesday.
“I think it is important that we temper our language and that we are conscious that when we use violent language in public that there is some nut job out there who hears that in a way that potentially spills over into real‑world threats,” she said.
“There is an unprecedented level of online abuse particularly targeting female MPs around the world right now.”
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