Listen to this articleDear 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated using AI-based technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results. Australian lawmaker Helen Haines was in a critical condition on Monday after being deliberately hit by a car outside her office in Wangaratta, police and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Haines, 65, was airlifted to the hospital, Albanese said. “This was not an accident. It appears it was a deliberate act. We don’t know what the motivation is,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Victoria Police said a 43-year-old man had been arrested after the attack on the independent MP in Wangaratta, about 200 kilometers northeast of Melbourne. “Police located a knife and seized it from inside the Toyota,” police said. Acting Victoria Police Superintendent Ashley Mason said at a news conference there were no further threats to the public. Albanese said it was too early to determine a motive for the attack, although a counterterrorism task force would be investigating the arrested suspect. “We are grateful for the quick assistance of bystanders and the dedicated health care workers who helped her, and the police for their response,” read a statement from Haines’ family posted on her Facebook page. Haines was first elected to Parliament in 2019 to represent the elections. division of Indi.Before that, she spent three decades working in rural healthcare as a nurse, midwife and academic, completing a doctoral thesis at Sweden’s Uppsala University on childbirth. In Parliament, he has championed causes including climate change and regional housing and worked with the ruling Labor government to establish a National Anti-Corruption Commission. “She is just a completely decent and respectful human being who is a pleasure to work with, and her presence in Parliament adds to that,” Albanese said. Authorities are concerned that there were more than 1,000 threats of violence against public figures in Australia last year and that holding public office has become more dangerous. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said in 2025 that threats against MPs had doubled in the past three years. Police data showed more than 1,000 such threats against politicians in the 2025-26 financial year, Home Secretary Tony Burke said on Monday.
