WANGARATTA, Australia — Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines remained in critical condition on Tuesday after being struck by an SUV in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described as a deliberate attack outside her electorate office in northern Victoria.
Haines, 65, who represents the federal seat of Indi, was hit by a white Toyota LandCruiser on Murphy Street in the rural city of Wangaratta at about 3:30 p.m. local time on Monday, according to Victoria Police. She was standing at the rear of her car, taking items out of the trunk, when the vehicle struck her.
Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the vehicle drove down the main street before turning around and ramming the lawmaker. “This wasn’t an accident. There was a deliberate act, it would appear,” Albanese said on the ABC’s 7.30 program. “We don’t know what the motivation is.”
Bystanders rushed to help and detained the driver until police arrived. Ricky Jefferies, a local barber, told the ABC he ran from his shop, grabbed a knife from the driver’s pocket, and pulled the 43-year-old man from the car. “I had no choice but to take him out of the car because it was the right and safest thing to do,” Jefferies said.
Police said the driver, a 43-year-old man from the nearby town of Tarrawingee, was arrested at the scene. A knife was found inside the Toyota and seized by police, according to the Associated Press. Police said they were examining whether the collision was intentional.
Haines was treated at Wangaratta hospital and then airlifted to a hospital in Melbourne, where she underwent emergency surgery, according to Australian media reports. She remained in critical condition.
Counter-terrorism investigation
The Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police, and the domestic intelligence agency ASIO are jointly investigating under the country’s counter-terrorism arrangements, though the motive remains unknown. AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said there was no ongoing threat to the community. “At this stage it appears this is an isolated incident, and there are no known threats connected to this matter,” she said in a statement.
Political violence is rare in Australia, but reports of harassment and threatening behavior against politicians have risen. Barrett said there were 1,067 reports of harassment and offensive or threatening behavior against high office-holders, parliamentarians, electorate offices, and protected establishments in 2025 and 2026.
“There’s no place for political violence in a democracy,” Albanese told the ABC, adding that the “temperature” of political discourse had increased in recent times and urging it to be turned down.
Haines, a former nurse and midwife, has represented Indi as an independent since her election in 2019.
This is a developing story. Zark News will update it as police release more details.
Sources: CNN; Associated Press; Australian Broadcasting Corp.
