Independent MP Helen Haines loses both legs after alleged deliberate car attack in Victoria

The alleged attack in Wangaratta

On Monday, 19 October, independent MP Helen Haines was struck by a car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, a city of about 20,000 people in Victoria. Police allege the driver acted deliberately. Haines, who is 65, was taken to the Alfred hospital in Melbourne. Police arrested a 43-year-old man from nearby Tarrawingee that afternoon. Residents of Wangaratta have been asking how an attack like this could happen and whether it could have been prevented. Former colleague Zoe Daniel, the previous MP for the Melbourne seat of Goldstein, said Haines had a pivotal role in the breakthrough of the teal independents at the 2022 election.

Charges and court appearance

The suspect faces three charges: dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, and a commonwealth offence of causing harm to a commonwealth public official. He appeared before a Wangaratta court on Wednesday, 21 October, and did not apply for bail. He is due back in court on 4 February. Police have not ruled out further charges, including attempted murder, and have not disclosed a motive. The magistrate noted mental health concerns at the first appearance and asked a mental health professional to see him. He has not entered a plea and remains in custody.

Haines's condition and the family's response

Her husband, Phil Haines, said on 21 October that surgeons had amputated both of her legs. He described her condition as stable and said the recovery would be long. Doctors in Melbourne described her condition as still critical in reports published on 22 October. The suspect's father and his partner said in a statement that they had been friends with Haines for two decades, called the events devastating and incomprehensible, and said they would cooperate fully with police. Haines's family asked for donations to Save the Children Australia instead of flowers, and the appeal raised more than 400,000 Australian dollars within 24 hours.

Second threat in Perth

On Thursday, 22 October, police announced that a 56-year-old man had been arrested the previous day after entering the electorate office of Hannah Beazley, a Labor minister in the Western Australian government, in a Perth suburb. Police allege he carried nunchaku and made verbal threats against staff. Beazley was not in the office at the time. He has been charged, and no link to the Haines attack has been alleged. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the threat against another MP as heartbreaking and said behaviour that can be very aggressive had become normalised in recent years. Police have recorded a steady rise in threats against elected officials in recent years.

Community response

Hundreds of people gathered in Wodonga on Wednesday night, 21 October, for a vigil in support of Haines. Attendees praised her compassion, her support for young people and her ability to bring people together across political divides. Former independent MP Cathy McGowan called for greater safety in politics, particularly for women in rural communities.

we can't let that violence win

The police investigation is ongoing.