MP Critically Injured After Attack, Deliberately Hit Twice

Australian independent MP Helen Haines is in a critical condition in hospital after being brutally struck by a car outside her electorate office. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese believes the shocking incident was deliberate.

The incident, which is being investigated with the involvement of counter-terrorism police, took place in Wangaratta, north-east of Melbourne, on Monday afternoon local time, the BBC reported on Tuesday (20 October 2026.

At 3.35pm local time, Haines was hit by a white Toyota Land Cruiser directly outside her office on Murphy Street, in a town of around 30,000 people. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the driver was suspected of reversing the vehicle and hitting her a second time.

“What witnesses have described is the driver turning around to pull into a parking space and hitting Helen into a vehicle, then reversing and doing it a second time,” Burke said.

Local barber Ricky Jefferies said he heard a major commotion and ran towards the car. Along with local residents who intervened to stop the suspect, he managed to take a knife from the driver.

Haines was airlifted to a Melbourne hospital for emergency surgery. Local media reported that the politician had lost one of her legs, while surgeons were still fighting to save the other.

Victoria Police arrested the driver, a 43-year-old man from nearby Tarrawingee. Local media identified the suspect as Brendan Nugent, who is known for campaigning on environmental issues and speaking out against illegal logging.

He was detained by passers-by at the scene before officers took him into custody, along with a knife as evidence.

“Clearly, this was a deliberate act,” Albanese said. “This was not an accident.”

Police are continuing to investigate the motive and establish whether the suspect and Haines knew one another.

Helen Haines is a 65-year-old independent politician representing the Division of Indi in south-east Victoria. Raised on a dairy farm with four brothers, she spent most of her life working as a nurse and midwife. She became head of Chiltern Bush Nursing Hospital at the age of 26, before earning a master’s degree in public health and a PhD in medical science.

Now living on a small cattle farm, Haines was first elected to Australia’s House of Representatives in 2019. She retained her seat at the 2022 and 2025 elections.