Helen Haines live updates: Victorian premier ‘deeply appalled’ after Helen Haines injured in alleged attack; Angus Taylor calls incident ‘shocking day for our nation’
Özet haber: We are closing the blog for the night. You can read the full story on the alleged attack on Helen Haines here, and an explainer here. We’ll be back first thing tomorrow, until then, here is a rundown of what we know so far: The independent MP for Indi is in a critical condition after an alleged attack involving a car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, at about 3. 35pm.
We are closing the blog for the night. You can read the full story on the alleged attack on Helen Haines here, and an explainer here. We’ll be back first thing tomorrow, until then, here is a rundown of what we know so far: The independent MP for Indi is in a critical condition after an alleged attack involving a car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, at about 3. 35pm.
A 43-year-old man from Tarrawingee is in custody, and the alleged attack is being investigated by the Australian federal police (AFP), Asio and the joint counter-terror taskforce. The motive is not yet known. A knife was allegedly found in his car after he was detained by a passerby when he exited his vehicle. Well-wishes towards Haines have flowed in from across the political spectrum.
The prime minister held a snap press conference on Monday evening where he described Haines, who has represented Indi since 2019, as a “thoroughly decent human being, full of integrity and respected right across parliament”. The
Rise in threats towards parliamentarians should ‘alarm every Australian’, Centre for Public Integrity says The Centre for Public Integrity, an independent research institute that has had a longstanding relationship with Helen Haines, says if the alleged incident was intentional, it would be an “act of democratic violence”. In a statement, it said it was “devastated” by the reports, describing Haines as an “extraordinary parliamentarian and an extraordinary person”. Helen is one of Australia’s most effective and determined champions of integrity in public life. Here at the Centre for Public Integrity we have been proud to work alongside her in many campaigns … Today, we welcomed the announcement of a new National Anti-Corruption Commissioner following a transparent and merit-based appointment process, precisely the type of reform Helen has long championed. The body said it was “shocked by the increasingly hostile environment in which Australian parliamentarians are working”.
‘Lower the temperature’, Nationals MP urges The Victorian state member for Euroa, Nationals MP Annabelle Cleeland, has shared sentiments we heard earlier from the federal MP for her region, Sam Birrell, about the need to lower the temperature across the political divide. In a statement, she said she was “shocked and appalled” about the alleged attack on Helen Haines and “violence is never the answer”. Tonight is a reminder of why it matters to turn down the heat. Our democracy depends on people being able to disagree without fear. The way we speak about each other matters, and every one of us has a responsibility to lower the temperature of our political debate.
Similarly, Tim McCurdy, the Nationals member for the Victorian seat of Ovens Valley, which centres on Wangaratta said: At a time like this, my thoughts are first and foremost with Helen herself and her loved ones. She is a proud representative of our community and above all, a decent human being who does not deserve this. And W
Helen Haines ‘adored by her community’, Animal Justice party MP, Georgie Purcell, says The Animal Justice party MP, Georgie Purcell, whose Victorian upper house region of northern Victoria overlaps with parts of Helen Haines’s seat of Indi, has described the independent as an “absolute powerhouse” who is “adored by her community”.