An Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines is in critical condition after being struck by a car outside her office in Wangaratta, in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an attack. There was a deliberate act,” Albanese told national broadcaster ABC on Monday. We are praying for her full recovery.” Police said a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV struck Haines outside her office in Wangaratta, some 200km (124 miles) northwest of Melbourne.
The 65-year-old “suffered what has been described as critical injuries”, Ashley Mason, Victoria police’s acting superintendent, said, without identifying the victim in line with police custom in Australia. Mason added that civilians apprehended a 43-year-old male driver and handed him over to police, who found a knife in his car. The attack comes after the federal police documented a steady rise in threats and abuse directed towards the nation’s politicians in recent years.
Politicians have historically been highly accessible to the public and usually go about their business without security. Albanese said on Monday that “the temperature has increased in recent times”. Albanese praised Haines, whom he described as “incredibly hardworking”.
Her family issued a statement but said it would offer no further comment, asking that their privacy be respected by the public and the media. She was widely praised for her efforts to increase transparency in politics and crack down on corruption.
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