An independent Australian lawmaker is in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle outside her office in rural Victoria on Monday in what authorities describe as a suspected attack.
The lawmaker, Helen Haines, 65, was injured in a “serious” incident, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a press conference in Sydney.
“This wasn’t an accident. Haines, a former nurse and midwife, has served as the independent member of parliament for the Victorian seat of Indi since 2019. She was well known for calling for the creation of an anti-corruption agency, with her efforts helping lay the groundwork for the National Anti-Corruption Commission that began in 2023. Victoria police acting superintendent Ashley Mason said in televised comments that a 43-year old man had been arrested following the incident, which happened around 3:30 p.m. near Haines’ regional office in Wangaratta. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Monday that there had been a continuous rise in the number of threats toward senior officials, with 1,067 reports of harassing or threatening behavior against high office holders in the fiscal year that just ended. Haines was hit outside her office in Wangaratta, just over 200 km (124 miles) northwest of Melbourne, the police said.
There was a deliberate act,” Albanese said later in televised remarks. “We don’t know what the motivation is,” he added, noting that police and the security services are investigating and that the government had established a counterterrorism taskforce after the incident. Fellow independent lawmaker Allegra Spender said on television Monday that the majority of abuse she had received was online, not in person. Earlier reporting noted: Australian lawmaker ‘critically’ hurt in attack, officials say Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines was deliberately struck by a car on Monday and suffered “critical injuries,” authorities said, in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described as an attack. Earlier reporting noted: The 65-year-old “suffered what has been described as critical injuries” in the attack, Victoria Police Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason said, without identifying the victim, in line with police custom in Australia.
Earlier reporting noted: Ms.
