Australian lawmaker in critical condition after vehicle attack

A woman places flowers outside the office of Australian politician Helen Haines in the northern city of Wangaratta on Tuesday. | AFP-JIJI

Oct 20, 2026

Independent Australian lawmaker Helen Haines remains critically ill in hospital after being struck by a car in an attack outside her office in rural Victoria.

Haines was injured on Monday afternoon as she retrieved something from the boot of her car, when another vehicle made a U-turn and struck her, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on television Tuesday morning.

“This was a deliberate act,” he said. “The motivation is not clear at this point in time, but it is clear that this wasn’t just an accident.”

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