ع
Victoria Police reported that the 43-year-old suspect from Tarrawingee drove a white Toyota Land Cruiser into Haines as she stood beside her parked car on Murphy Street shortly after 3:30 p.m. local time. The driver performed a U-turn before striking her and then reversed to hit her a second time, according to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. Local barber Ricky Jefferies ran from his nearby shop, removed a knife from inside the vehicle and restrained the man until officers took him into custody, Reuters reported from the scene.
Nugent faces three offences including dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official, the force stated in its update on Tuesday. He appeared in court the following day without entering a plea or seeking bail, with authorities noting they may add attempted murder to the list. His father Rod Nugent issued a statement describing Haines as a family friend of more than 20 years and calling the incident devastating and unfathomable.
Haines, aged 65, underwent emergency surgery at a Melbourne hospital after being airlifted from the rural city 250 kilometres northeast of the state capital. Her husband Phil Haines said both legs had been amputated but that the two most important parts of her, her heart and her mind, remained in good shape. The independent member for Indi had been elected to federal parliament in 2019 after a career in nursing and health administration.
Wangaratta Mayor Irene Grant told reporters the town of 30,000 people had been plunged into disbelief, describing Haines as a cheerful and committed local representative. Governor-General Sam Mostyn said at a Wednesday press conference that people across the community were simply dumbfounded by the scale of the tragedy. The sombre mood extended beyond the immediate area as word of the assault spread through the region.
Haines built a national profile through her years-long advocacy for a federal integrity commission to combat corruption, a cause she advanced consistently since entering the House of Representatives. She has also spoken against proposals to increase secrecy around political donations and against certain fossil fuel subsidies. Her work on these issues earned her respect across party lines in a seat traditionally held by the Coalition before her victory.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the act as deliberate and confirmed that counter-terrorism police along with domestic intelligence agencies had joined the investigation. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor labelled it a shocking day for the nation and warned against any normalisation of violence toward elected officials. Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Victorian Premier Ben Carroll both expressed deep disturbance at the assault on a public figure.
Australian Federal Police figures show 1,067 reports of threats, harassment or offensive behaviour targeting federal parliamentarians and high office holders during the 2025-26 financial year, a 12 percent rise on the previous period according to agency data. A 2025 parliamentary report found that 85 percent of federal lawmakers and their staff had experienced violent, threatening or volatile behaviour at some stage. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation warned in its latest assessment that politically motivated violence was becoming more common, a trend echoed in coverage by SBS News and Reuters.
