Australian man charged in vehicle attack on MP, who reportedly has leg amputated
An Australian federal lawmaker remained in a hospital in a critical but stable condition, with a male driver charged with three offences in what police allege was a targeted attack with a vehicle.
Accused attacker's father says victim Helen Haines was a family friend, calls attack 'devastating'
The Associated Press
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An Australian federal lawmaker remained in a hospital in a critical but stable condition, with a male driver charged with three offences in what police allege was a targeted attack with a vehicle.
Helen Haines, a 65-year-old Independent MP, was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV on Monday afternoon outside her office in the city of Wangaratta in Victoria state.
The 43-year-old driver, Brendan Nugent, from nearby Tarrawingee, remained in police custody on Tuesday. He was charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.
Victoria Police said at this point the incident appears to have been isolated, with no known threats to others.
Nugent will appear in a Wangaratta court on Wednesday, where a decision could be made on bail conditions.
Haines was initially taken to a hospital in Wangaratta, a city of 30,000 people. She was airlifted later on Monday to a hospital in the state capital, Melbourne, 236 kilometres away.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to Haines in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, on Aug. 18. Haines has not been known for being a polarizing politician. (Lukas Coch/AAPIMAGE/The Associated Press)
The Alfred Hospital didn't respond Tuesday to a request for comment on media reports that Haines had had a leg amputated.
The accused's father, Rod Nugent, released a statement Tuesday describing Haines as a "deeply respected, valued and much loved member of our local community."
"Helen has been our friend for more than 20 years and what happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable," he said.
Family thanks bystanders who intervened
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said eyewitnesses had reported the accused passed Haines in his SUV as she stood by the trunk of her parked car. The SUV then turned and came back before the man allegedly drove into the politician, the prime minister said.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told Australian Broadcasting Corp., citing witness accounts, that the driver allegedly reversed and struck Haines a second time, pinning her against her car, after initially hitting her.
Barber Ricky Jefferies, who ran out of his store to help in the immediate aftermath of the attack, speaks to reporters Tuesday in Wangaratta. (Seven Nework/Reuters)
Albanese said he phoned local barber Ricky Jefferies, who had run from his store to help other members of the public detain the driver, to thank him on Tuesday for intervening.
"It's a reminder that at the worst of times, we see the best of the Australian character," Albanese said in Melbourne.
Jefferies had earlier told reporters he searched the driver's pockets and removed a knife. Police confirmed a knife had been found. Jefferies also said he did not consider himself a hero.
"It was crazy," he said. "A lot of people got involved immediately and they didn't even check for danger. They just ran to help."
One of the bystanders who came to Haines's assistance, Cody Lepoidevin, told reporters he thought he was witnessing a hit-and-run when the SUV backed away after she was first struck.
But instead of fleeing the scene, Lepoidevin said the driver "then reversed and drove back into her."
Haines's family released a statement expressing thanks for the "swift assistance of bystanders" as well as health workers and police.
The incident shocked Australians as political violence is rare and politicians have always been accessible to the public.
Most lawmakers are not accompanied by security officers and go about their work and personal lives on their own.
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Police reported in 2025 that threats against parliamentarians had doubled over the past three years. Official data showed more than 1,000 such threats against politicians in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Lawmakers from across the political spectrum and Albanese spoke to media outlets Tuesday, urging their colleagues, reporters and the public to turn down the heat in increasingly fractious political debates. Many also said they hoped Australia's easygoing culture of approachable politicians wouldn't change.
Haines was not known for polarizing views. The daughter of dairy farmers and mother of three was a nurse, midwife and academic before entering politics, and advocated for rural health matters. She was initially elected in 2019 to represent Indi with a campaign focused on health equity, rural prosperity and climate action, and she has won re-election twice more.
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