Man charged over alleged attack on MP Helen Haines in Wangaratta
Developed over time first seen 52 minutes ago
A 43-year-old man has been charged over an alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, northern Victoria. Police say the incident appears to have been targeted; counter-terrorism authorities are investigating, though police have described it as isolated with no known related threats.
Haines, 65, was struck by a Toyota LandCruiser on Monday and underwent emergency surgery, during which one of her legs was amputated. Brendan Nugent faces charges including dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official; he is due in Wangaratta Magistrates' Court. Police say a highway patrol unit arrived within eight seconds of the call, and a task force established in October 2025 has charged 41 people over threats to politicians and senior officials.
- Brendan Nugent faces three charges over the alleged attack on Helen Haines.
- Haines lost a leg and remains in critical but stable condition.
- Police say the incident appears isolated as counter-terrorism authorities investigate.
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Helen Haines is an independent member of Australia’s federal parliament, representing the rural electorate of Indi in north-east Victoria. Wangaratta is one of the towns in her electorate, where MPs often hold local offices to meet constituents.
Australian federal MPs work in the national parliament and help represent local concerns, including through debates and contact with government ministers. Threats or violence against them can therefore raise questions about both their personal safety and the security of public life.
Victoria Police investigate crimes in the state, while counter-terrorism authorities examine whether an incident may have a wider security dimension. The task force mentioned in reports was set up to investigate threats against politicians and senior officials.
Full account
A man has been charged after independent federal MP Helen Haines was allegedly struck by a four-wheel-drive outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria, on Monday afternoon. Victoria Police said they would allege the incident was targeted. Dr Haines, 65, was taken to Melbourne for emergency surgery and remained in a critical but stable condition after losing a leg.
Brendan Nugent, 43, of Tarrawingee, was charged late on Tuesday with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official. He was due to appear before Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. The charges are allegations, and he has not been convicted.
Dr Haines was reportedly at the boot of her car on Murphy Street when a Toyota LandCruiser struck her. Witness accounts relayed by ministers say the vehicle turned, hit her, reversed and struck her again. Local barber Ricky Jefferies restrained the alleged driver until police arrived. Police said a nearby highway patrol unit reached the scene within eight seconds of the emergency call. Officers searched a property in Tarrawingee on Tuesday and said they knew of no other threats connected with the incident.
Dr Haines’s family thanked bystanders, health workers and police, and asked for privacy while she received care. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Mr Jefferies for intervening. In Wangaratta, residents gathered for a vigil. Mr Nugent’s father, Rod, and Rod’s partner, Christine Cunningham, said Dr Haines had been their friend for more than 20 years, described what happened as devastating and said they would assist police. Dr Haines, the MP for Indi, is known for her work on political integrity and rural healthcare.
Where outlets differ
The first report describes Dr Haines’s condition as critical but stable; the second says she remains critical and that surgeons are trying to save her other leg.
The second report describes Mr Nugent as an anti-Israel activist, a characterisation absent from the first report and not established by the police information provided.
The first report gives more detail about the charges, police response and comments from Mr Nugent’s family. The second emphasises Dr Haines’s injuries, Mr Jefferies’s intervention, the Prime Minister’s response and her parliamentary work.
More coverage
- Daily Mail — Australian politician Helen Haines loses a leg after horrific attack – as new footage reveals moment LandCruiser reversed following alleged hit
- Daily Mail — The PM was minutes away from headlining a $2,500-a-head Labor fundraiser when everything changed: Inside Albanese's evening scramble as news of Helen Haines attack emerged
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Daily Mail as “Accused LandCruiser driver who ‘rammed MP Helen Haines outside her office and severed her leg’ is charged”.