Australian MP critically injured after being hit by car in apparent attack

Australian Independent MP Helen Haines, 65, remains critically ill in hospital after a white Toyota Landcruiser struck her outside her constituency office in Wangaratta, Victoria on Monday afternoon. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC television that the incident "wasn't an accident" but appeared to be "a deliberate act". Victoria Police said they are investigating whether it was an "intentional act" but currently do not believe there is an "ongoing threat to the community".

A 43-year-old man from Tarrawingee was detained at the scene by passersby. Police found a knife in the vehicle. The parties involved are not known to each other, according to Victoria Police. Counter-terrorism police are involved in the investigation. A witness told the ABC they heard a bang and saw a woman pinned between two cars. Haines was initially treated at a local hospital before being transferred by helicopter to Melbourne.

Haines, an independent MP elected in 2019, is known as an anti-corruption campaigner. She proposed national anti-corruption legislation in 2021 and was credited with driving the creation of the National Anti-Corruption Commission under Labor. She currently sits on the parliamentary committee responsible for its oversight.

Albanese said it was too early to determine the motive but noted that Australia's political temperature had been rising. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke cited data showing reports of threatening or harassing behaviour towards politicians rose from 951 to 1,067 over the past year. An Australian parliamentary report warned last year that threats and physical attacks on MPs had increased "significantly over the past decade". The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation warned that the risk of politically motivated violence was "already flashing red".

Political leaders across the spectrum condemned the attack. Opposition leader Angus Taylor said Australians would be "angry and appalled". Greens leader David Shoebridge called Haines "an extraordinary human being" and said she "brings people together like few others".