Australian lawmaker lost legs in attack

SOUL-SEARCHING: The governor-general said the nation was crying out for ‘decency’ following the attack and amid a rise in threats and abuse toward elected officials

Australian lawmaker Helen Haines has had both legs amputated after being rammed by a car outside her electoral office, her husband said yesterday, as the man accused of the attack appeared in court.

Doctors amputated Haines’ left leg after the alleged attacker struck her twice with his car in Wangaratta, northeast of Melbourne, on Monday, Phil Haines said.

They worked for days to save her right leg, but were ultimately unsuccessful, he told a news conference in Melbourne.

Phil Haines, husband of Australian lawmaker Helen Haines, speaks to the media during a news conference at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne yesterday, after his wife was hit by a car on Monday in what police believe was a targeted attack.

Photo: EPA

“The good news in all this is Helen is alive and she’s stable. That is the most important thing for our family,” he said.

Brendan Nugent, a 43-year-old resident of the rural town of Tarrawingee within Helen Haines’ electorate, was charged with three offenses: dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a public official.

Additional charges of cannabis cultivation and possession have also been laid against Nugent, court filings showed.

The suspect was restrained by members of the public at the scene before being arrested.

Helen Haines, an independent lawmaker who has championed causes including climate change and regional housing, remains in critical condition.

Police are still investigating the motive for the attack.

During a brief court appearance yesterday, the accused’s lawyer said his client suffers from a rare neurological condition called idiopathic transverse myelitis and was also being treated for concussion, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.

His lawyer told the magistrate his client had some mental health concerns and that it was his first time in custody.

There was no application for bail, and the case was deferred until Feb. 4.

Anti-terrorism police are among the agencies investigating the incident. While police allege the attack was “targeted,” they believe it was an isolated incident.

There was no intelligence to suggest any threat to Helen Haines, and the Australian Federal Police received no warning of any imminent danger from the alleged attacker, Commissioner Krissy Barrett told reporters.

“What I can say is we didn’t have any specific intelligence that would have indicated something as atrocious as happened on Monday afternoon,” she said.

Victoria Police said they could not find any direct past contact between Helen Haines and the accused, with the motive still unknown.

“Motivation is one of these things that we absolutely need to explore. His motivation for this, what we allege is a deliberate attack, is very much a centerpiece of the investigation,” Victoria Police Chief Mike Bush said.

Bush declined to comment on the man’s mental health, saying the matter was before the court.

The alleged attack has sparked soul-searching in a country where political violence is rare, but where police have documented a steady rise in threats and abuse toward elected officials in the past few years.

Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn — King Charles III’s official representative in Australia — said the nation was crying out for “decency” following the attack.

“Australians are yearning for kindness and care, and they’re asking us why we’ve lost the great skill of disagreeing well,” Mostyn said alongside Phil Haines.

Helen Haines had worked in nursing, midwifery and academia before being elected to parliament in 2019 for the rural seat of Indi, which she retained in both 2022 and last year.