WANGARATTA, Australia (Diya TV) — Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines underwent emergency surgery Monday after an SUV struck her outside her electorate office in northeastern Victoria, leaving her critically injured.
Bystanders detained the driver before police took a forty-three-year-old man from nearby Tarrawingee into custody. Officers found a knife inside the vehicle and were investigating whether the collision was intentional.
Haines, sixty-five, suffered severe lower-body injuries and was flown to Melbourne’s Alfred hospital. Emergency crews responded to Murphy Street at about 3:30 p.m. after a white Toyota LandCruiser struck her.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the collision as deliberate, while police continued examining the circumstances.
“This wasn’t an accident. This was a deliberate act,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
He said a joint counterterrorism unit had been activated, with Victoria Police, the Australian Federal Police and domestic intelligence agency ASIO working together. Authorities had not announced a motive or publicly established whether Haines was targeted because of her political role.
Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason thanked residents who intervened. Detectives from Victoria Police’s Major Collision Investigation Unit were also investigating.
Haines’ family thanked the bystanders, health workers and police who assisted her and requested privacy.
“Our family, and Helen’s staff, will be making no further comment at this time,” the family said.
Haines has represented Indi since 2019 and won reelection in 2022 and 2025. She succeeded Cathy McGowan, becoming the first independent to replace another independent in Australia’s federal Parliament. Before entering politics, she worked as a nurse, midwife, researcher and academic, including leading midwifery services in Wangaratta.
The incident drew condemnation across party lines. Victorian Premier Ben Carroll called it a violent attack, while Opposition Leader Angus Taylor warned against normalizing violence against public representatives.
Albanese urged Australians to lower the temperature of political debate. Investigators had not publicly identified a connection between that broader concern and the driver’s actions.
