An anti-Israel activist has been charged after allegedly driving a four-wheel-drive vehicle into Australian federal MP Helen Haines, an attack that reportedly resulted in the loss of one of her legs.
Eco-activist Brendan Nugent is accused of striking the centrist independent politician as she retrieved belongings from the boot of her car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria, on Monday.
Ms Haines, 65, remains in hospital in a critical condition after suffering devastating lower-body injuries in the incident on Murphy Street.
Nugent has been charged with intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official. He is due to appear in court on Wednesday.
Police allege that Nugent, who lives in nearby Tarrawingee, repeatedly drove a white Toyota Land Cruiser into Ms Haines, a mother of three and grandmother.
Reports say surgeons were forced to amputate one of her legs, while doctors remain concerned about the condition of her other leg because of the extent of her injuries.
The alleged attack, which occurred at about 3.30pm local time on Monday, has intensified concerns about political violence in Australia. Politicians across the political spectrum have condemned what they described as an apparent deliberate assault.
Local reports indicate that Nugent’s parents have been friends with Ms Haines, the federal member for Indi in Victoria, for more than two decades.
Helen Haines, 65, lost a leg and remains in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery in Melbourne overnight
Eco-activist Brendan Nugent has been charged with intentionally causing serious injury to a federal official
Nugent was arrested after allegedly driving a Toyota Land Cruiser into federal MP Helen Haines outside her Wangaratta electorate office on Monday
Nugent’s family has issued a statement saying it will assist police with their investigation into the attack on Ms Haines.
The suspect’s father, Rod Nugent, and Rod’s partner, Christine Cunningham, said Ms Haines had been a close friend for more than 20 years.
“What happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable,” they said.
“We would like to sincerely thank members of the local community and police who came to Helen’s aid yesterday after the shocking and horrific crime. We will be assisting Victoria Police in any way we can.”
“Helen Haines is a deeply respected, valued and much-loved member of our local community.”
A photograph shared on Ms Haines’ social media showed her smiling with Nugent’s stepmother in April 2025.
Nugent was reportedly detained behind the wheel of the Land Cruiser by local barber Ricky Jefferies. Jefferies said the driver was carrying a knife before police arrived and took him into custody.
Nugent is scheduled to face court on Wednesday and could seek bail.
The alleged assault has deeply unsettled Australians, as political violence is uncommon in the country and elected representatives have traditionally maintained close contact with the public.
Most lawmakers are not accompanied by security officers as they go about their work and personal lives.
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said he phoned local barber Ricky Jefferies, who had run from his store to help detain the suspect, to thank him for intervening.
Mr Albanese said: ‘It’s a reminder that at the worst of times, we see the best of the Australian character.’
The PM praised Mr Jefferies, describing him as a hero whose intervention may have prevented further injuries.
Mr Albanese said: ‘It’s got to be said here that at this dark and terrible time, an element of light is the fact that a Good Samaritan, someone rushed to Helen’s defence in Wangaratta… and that person is a hero today.
‘He deserves enormous praise and thanks for his intervention, which could have prevented even more further infliction of damage, which was aimed at Helen.’
Haines was retrieving belongings from her car boot on Murphy Street when she was allegedly struck repeatedly by the Land Cruiser
Barber Ricky Jefferies pulled the alleged attacker from the Land Cruiser and restrained him until police arrived
A local man wearing a ‘This is not us’ shirt in Wangaratta following the attack on Haines
Mr Jefferies told reporters: ‘It was crazy. A lot of people got involved immediately and they didn’t even check for danger. They just ran to help.’
Ms Haines is widely known in Canberra and nationally as a strong voice for integrity and honesty in politics.
She played a key role in establishing the National Anti-Corruption Commission and has been a prominent advocate for rural issues, especially healthcare.
Ms Haines’s family released a statement, asking Australians to think of her.
They said: ‘We thank the swift assistance of bystanders and the dedicated health workers who assisted her, and police for their response.
‘Our family, and Helen’s staff, will be making no further comment at this time, and ask that their privacy be respected by the public and media. Please keep Helen in your thoughts.’
They also said they were grateful for the ‘swift assistance of bystanders’ as well as medics and police.
The MP, who was first elected to Parliament in 2019 and has since been re-elected twice, was initially taken to a hospital in Wangaratta, a city of 30,000 people.
She was airlifted later to a hospital in the state capital, Melbourne, 236km (147 miles) from the scene.
The Alfred Hospital didn’t respond Tuesday to a request for comment on media reports that Haines had had a leg amputated.
The injured lawmaker was not considered controversial or polarising. Ms Haines, the daughter of dairy farmers and mother of three was a nurse, midwife and academic before entering politics, and advocated for rural health matters.
Mr Albanese said witnesses had reported that the suspect passed Haines in his SUV as she stood by the boot of her parked car.
The SUV then turned and came back before the driver allegedly drove into the politician, the prime minister said.
Home affairs minister Tony Burke told ABC that after initially hitting her, the driver allegedly reversed and struck Haines a second time, pinning her against her car.
Cody Lepoidevin, one of the bystanders who came to Haines’s assistance, told reporters he thought he was witnessing a hit-and-run when the SUV backed away after she was struck the first time.
But instead of fleeing the scene, Mr Lepoidevin said the driver ‘then reversed and drove back into her’.
The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation spy agency, Mike Burgess, on Tuesday reiterated an earlier warning that politically-motivated violence was a top security concern, along with espionage and foreign interference.
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 2025-2026 fiscal year.
Mr Albanese, along with lawmakers from across the political spectrum, spoke to media outlets 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.