Melbourne: A car hit Australian federal independent lawmaker Helen Haines on Monday, critically injuring her in an apparent deliberate attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. The driver was arrested.
Haines, 65, was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV outside her electoral district office in Wangaratta, in Victoria state, in the mid-afternoon, police said.
Albanese said the national counterterrorism team, incorporating police and intelligence agencies, was investigating. He said it was too early to determine the motive for the attack but pointed to the changing face of social media having raised the temperature around politics in a country where such violence is extremely rare.
“This wasn't an accident. There was a deliberate act, it would appear. We don't know what the motivation is,” Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The 43-year-old driver was arrested at the scene by a passerby. He will be interviewed in relation to the incident, police said.
“A knife was located by police and seized from inside the Toyota,” police said.
“At this stage, police are investigating as to whether this was an intentional act,” police added.
Haines was airlifted to hospital with critical injuries, Albanese said.
“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,” Albanese earlier told a press conference.
Haines' family posted a statement on her Facebook page, saying, “We thank the swift assistance of bystanders and the dedicated health workers who assisted her, and police for their response.”
The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of Australian lawmakers, who have historically been accessible to the public and usually gone about their work without security officers. However, threats against public officials have increased.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said in 2025 that threats against parliamentarians had doubled over the previous three years. Police data showed more than 1,000 such threats against politicians in the 2025-26 financial year, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Monday.
Haines worked in nursing and midwifery and as an academic before being elected to Parliament as an independent in 2019 in the seat of Indi.
Her website says she has opposed proposals including making political donations to the major parties more secretive, banning mobile phones in immigration detention and spending billions on fossil fuel subsidies.
(With inputs from AP via PTI & Reuters)
