The independent Australian MP’s first words after being woken by doctors were of concern for others, colleagues said, as parliament paid tribute and a family-backed charity appeal passed AU$1.2 million.
Australian independent MP Helen Haines is in a serious but stable condition after both her legs were amputated following an alleged targeted vehicle attack outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, north-east Victoria. The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne reported the improvement on Saturday, October 24, five days after she was critically injured.
As federal parliament gathered on Monday, colleagues said the 65-year-old member for Indi had expressed gratitude and concern for the people who helped her when doctors woke her. Independent MP Allegra Spender said Haines’ thoughts were with her staff, community, bystanders, first responders and medical team.
That exactly speaks to the character of who you are.
Spender told parliament.
Emergency surgery and a long recovery
Haines was struck outside her Wangaratta office on Monday, October 19, and airlifted to Melbourne for emergency treatment. Her husband, Phil Haines, said surgeons amputated her left leg that day and her right leg on October 21, after efforts to save it were unsuccessful.
The good news in all this is that Helen is alive and she’s stable. That is the most important thing for our family.
Phil Haines told reporters on Wednesday.
Helen’s road to recovery will be long and difficult. But we know she is a fighter.
He said her “heart and her mind” were in good shape, while acknowledging the scale of the recovery ahead.
The hospital’s subsequent announcement that her condition had improved from critical to serious but stable marked the first reported improvement in her formal medical status since she was airlifted from Wangaratta.
Bystanders rushed to help
Police allege a white Toyota LandCruiser struck Haines near her parked car. Witness accounts described the vehicle pinning her against her own car before reversing and striking her again.
People nearby immediately went to her aid, some tending to her injuries while others intervened to stop the driver. Jacob Evans, who was visiting the area with his partner, Jacklyn Black, told Nine’s Today program that he had a tourniquet in his bag and applied it to Haines’ most badly injured leg.
Ricky Jefferies, whose barbershop is beside Haines’ office, helped remove the driver from the vehicle and prevented him from leaving before police arrived. Jefferies told the ABC he also took a knife from the man’s pocket, although the man had not drawn it.
Jefferies rejected descriptions of himself as a hero and praised the other people who rushed forward. “A lot of people got involved immediately and they didn’t even check for danger, they just ran to help,” he said.
In parliament on Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked Jefferies, Evans, Black and local technical-school director Xavier Norden, among others, for their interventions. He said the bystanders had applied tourniquets, assisted paramedics and provided invaluable help.
Accused remains in custody as investigation continues
Brendan Nugent, 43, of nearby Tarrawingee, was arrested at the scene and appeared in Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, October 21. He faces charges of intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.globalnews+1
He did not enter a plea and remained in custody following the hearing. Police have said further charges, including attempted murder, could be considered.
Nugent’s lawyer, Chirag Patel, told the court his client had a neurological condition, idiopathic transverse myelitis, and a concussion. Patel also raised potential mental health concerns, saying Nugent had not previously been diagnosed with a mental health problem.
Authorities have not established a motive. Victoria Police is investigating with support from federal authorities, and counterterrorism investigators have joined the inquiry. Their involvement does not establish that the alleged attack was terrorism or politically motivated.
Addressing parliament on Monday, Albanese urged caution: “While the investigations go on, we must not rush to conclusions.”
Parliament pays tribute
Haines’ husband watched from the public gallery on Monday as MPs from across parliament paid tribute to her. An orange cardboard cockatoo was placed on her empty seat by fellow independent Zali Steggall, while colleagues wore orange heart pins reflecting Haines’ campaign colour.
The shock from what happened last Monday is like a stone in our hearts
Albanese said.
Steggall described Haines as the “matriarch of the crossbench” and praised her commitment to respectful political debate. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said Haines’ concern for others after waking was unsurprising to those who knew her.
“After everything that she has been through, she was thinking of others,” Collins said.
Haines entered federal parliament in 2019 after a career as a nurse, midwife and health researcher. She succeeded fellow independent Cathy McGowan in Indi and has become known for advocating stronger climate action, political transparency and anti-corruption measures.
Charity appeal passes AU$1.2 million
A Save the Children fundraiser established by Haines’ family in lieu of flowers had raised more than AU$1.2 million by Sunday afternoon, October 25. The donations are for the charity, rather than a fund for Haines’ medical treatment.
Community vigils and parliamentary tributes have accompanied renewed discussion about the safety of elected representatives. Security in public areas of Parliament House was increased as MPs returned to Canberra on Monday.
Albanese warned parliament that a “rising tide of rage” was distorting public discourse and that the language of grievance and violence was becoming normalised. His comments came as investigators continued their work to establish why Haines was attacked.
