Australian Official Critically Injured In Car Attack; Authorities Say Incident Was Intentional

An Australian member of parliament was struck by a vehicle and critically injured in what police are calling a deliberate act of violence.

Helen Haines, 65, was struck by the vehicle around 3:35 p.m. in Wangaratta on Monday. Police said she was hit by a Toyota Land Cruiser just outside her office.

A 43-year-old Tarrawingee man exited the vehicle after Haines was struck. The man was quickly apprehended by a passerby. Police found a knife inside of the vehicle.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the incident was an intentional attack.

"We know that this was a serious incident. The first I was told was that there'd been a car accident, so I did not think of anything other than an accident," he said. "This wasn't an accident, and the suspect is in custody."

Haines is an independent member of the Australian parliament. According to ABC a witness said that they saw a woman pinned between two cars after hearing a loud bang.

ABC reported that the man who has been detained is known to police and is undergoing a mental health evaluation. Police said that they did not know if Haines knew her attacker.

Threats against lawmakers and elected officials in Australia have been on the rise.

The Mandarin reported that, according to data from the Australian Federal Police, there were 1,067 reports of harassing, nuisance, offensive, and threatening behavior toward high office holders, federal parliamentarians, and other officials.

The outlet reported this was a 12 percent increase over 2024-2025, when there were 951 such reports.

Albanese told ABC that Haines was "loved and admired because she's someone of integrity". He also acknowledged the rising number of threats against political figures and said that the "political temperature" needs to be come down.

ABC reported that Haines family released the following statement: "This afternoon, our beloved Helen was involved in an incident outside her Wangaratta Electorate Office, and is receiving medical care," the statement reads. "Our family, and Helen's staff, will be making no further comment at this time, and ask that their privacy be respected by the public and media. Please keep Helen in your thoughts."