An Australian MP is in a critical but stable condition in hospital after being hit by a car outside her constituency office in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described as a deliberate act.

Helen Haines, the 65-year-old independent member for the federal seat of Indi in Victoria, was struck on Murphy Street in Wangaratta at about 15:35 local time on Monday. The town of around 30,000 people lies a few hours north-east of Melbourne.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said witnesses had described the driver making a U-turn into the car park, ramming Haines against another vehicle, then reversing and doing so a second time. Haines was taken to hospital in Wangaratta before being flown by helicopter to Melbourne, where she underwent surgery. Local media reported that she had lost one of her legs and that surgeons were working to save the other.

Passers-by detained the driver

Victoria Police arrested the driver of a white Toyota Landcruiser, a 43-year-old man from the nearby town of Tarrawingee, after he was detained at the scene by members of the public. Police said a knife was found in the car.

Local barber Ricky Jefferies told reporters that he heard a loud commotion, ran towards the vehicle, pulled the driver out and took a knife from him. He said several people had become involved immediately, including one person who sat in front of the car as it was rolling.

Local media have named the suspect as Brendan Nugent, reportedly a campaigner on environmental issues including logging. Police have not confirmed the name of the man arrested. His father, Rod, told reporters that he and his partner had been friends with Haines for more than 20 years and described the attack as devastating and unfathomable.

Victoria Police said it was investigating whether the incident was an intentional act and that it was not yet known whether the parties knew each other. Officers said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community.

‘This wasn’t an accident’

Albanese confirmed that counter-terrorism police were involved in the investigation. “This wasn’t an accident,” he said. “There was a deliberate act, it would appear.” On Tuesday morning he said the suspect had driven past Haines before turning back in order to strike her, but that the motive was not yet clear.

The prime minister appeared close to tears during a live interview on the ABC’s 7.30 programme when asked whether politicians discussed the threats they faced. “Yes,” he said. “My concern at this point in time is for one of my colleagues.” He later spoke of a “rise in temperature” in Australian public life, with “too much shouting, not enough discourse”.

Burke said reports of threatening or harassing behaviour towards politicians had risen to 1,067 in the 2025–26 financial year, up from 951 the year before. A parliamentary report last year warned that threats and physical attacks had increased significantly over the past decade, and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation has described the risk of politically motivated violence as already “flashing red”.

Tributes from across the chamber

Messages of support came from across the political spectrum. Opposition leader Angus Taylor said Australians would be angry and appalled, calling it “a shocking day for our nation”. Foreign Minister Penny Wong described a “shocking and deeply disturbing attack”, while Greens senator David Shoebridge said Haines “brings people together like few others”. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said MPs and their staff must be able to serve their communities without fearing for their safety.

Haines grew up on a dairy farm in south-west Victoria and trained as a nurse and midwife, becoming matron of the Chiltern Bush Nursing Hospital at 26. She later completed a master’s degree in public health and a PhD in medical science. First elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2022 and 2025, she is widely credited with driving the creation of Australia’s National Anti-Corruption Commission and sits on the committee that oversees it.

Fellow independent Allegra Spender called her “the best of us”. Albanese described her as fiercely intelligent and “a thoroughly decent human being full of integrity”.

In Wangaratta, residents left flowers outside her office and gathered for a vigil at a local church. Other MPs have spoken in recent days of locking office doors, wearing disguises in public and scanning crowds for potential threats. Police inquiries are continuing.