Helen Haines loses second leg after attack outside office

Independent MP Helen Haines has had both her legs amputated after being struck by a four-wheel drive outside her electorate office but is in a stable condition, her husband said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Governor-General Sam Mostyn, who stood next to Phil Haines at the Alfred hospital in Melbourne, said the attack on the sitting MP “must be a moment for us to pause and to choose to be better”.

Helen Haines lost her first leg when she underwent surgery after the incident on Monday. “We had been hoping that her right leg would be saved, but as of this afternoon or this morning, the surgeons had to also remove her right leg,” Phil Haines said.

“But the good news in all this is Helen is alive and she’s stable. That is the most important thing for our family. And I think when we reflect and talk about and think about Helen, the two most important parts of Helen for us as a family are her heart and her mind.

“Her heart is huge. She is a very compassionate, caring, loving person. Incredibly supportive of all around her - her family, her community, anybody she comes across. And her mind: she has the sharpest intellect. She has always had the most intense desire to learn, to read, to synthesise, and to understand what’s going on. We are grateful and thankful that at this stage, both her heart and her mind are in good shape.”

Mostyn praised the bystanders who rushed to Helen Haines’ side after she was struck outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, north-east Victoria, on Monday afternoon. She also thanked first responders and the health workers who have taken care of her in the last two days.

“This violent attack on a much loved and respected sitting member of our federal Parliament must be a moment for us to pause and to choose to be better,” Mostyn said.

“In fact, it is bittersweet and quite difficult to talk about that. I was discussing this very topic with Helen just two weeks ago in Euroa, when we were both visiting a recovery hub dealing with the bushfire recovery, and we talked about the need for greater civility and engagement across our civic and public life.”