Helen Haines seriously injured outside Wangaratta office; suspect in custody, Albanese says

As of 5:24 a.m. ET Monday Oct. 19, 2026

Update (Oct. 19, 2026, 4:54 a.m. ET): This story has been updated with further remarks from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, a Victoria Police briefing at the scene, and Reuters' report.

Update (Oct. 19, 2026, 5:24 a.m. ET): This story has been updated to report that Victoria Police said Haines was being airlifted to Melbourne, according to ABC, to remove an outdated reference to wire coverage, and to correct the number of reported threats in 2025-26, per ABC.

Helen Haines, the independent federal member of Australia's Parliament for Indi in regional Victoria, has been seriously injured outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, ABC News Australia reported on Monday.

"There is a major police investigation underway, and I can confirm that a suspect is in custody," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a news conference in Sydney on Monday evening local time, ABC reported. "We are praying for her full recovery. I want to thank the first responders for their extraordinary work," he said. "Helen Haines, the member for Indi, was attacked outside her electorate office in Wangaratta," Albanese said, according to The Age. ABC reported that he had spoken with Victorian Premier Ben Carroll and Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett. "The joint counter-terrorism team has been activated, but the motive is not known," Albanese said, ABC reported.

Albanese declined to say whether the suspect was known to police, ABC reported. "It is too early to speculate on motivation and we won't be doing so," he said. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the investigation was in its "very early stages," ABC reported. Burke also said the number of reports of harassing and threatening behavior against high office holders such as MPs had risen from 951 in the 2024-25 financial year to 1,007 in 2025-26, according to ABC.

Victoria Police said they believe a 43-year-old man driving a white Toyota Landcruiser struck Haines outside her office on Murphy Street at about 3:35 p.m. local time (12:35 a.m. ET), ABC reported. "When he exited the Toyota the driver, a 43-year-old Tarrawingee man, was arrested at the scene by a passerby," police said in a statement quoted by ABC. Police said a knife was located and seized from inside the Toyota. "At this stage, police are investigating as to whether this was an intentional act," Victoria Police said. "It is not known yet if the parties are known to each other." Detectives are still working to determine a motive, police said, according to ABC.

The Age reported that emergency services were called to a vehicle crash on Murphy Street at 3:40 p.m. The street was closed in both directions as police responded, ABC reported.

Haines was taken to hospital with critical injuries, Victoria Police said. Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason of Victoria Police said at the scene that she was taken by road ambulance to North East Health in Wangaratta and would likely be airlifted to Melbourne, ABC reported. ABC later reported that Victoria Police said Haines was being airlifted to Melbourne for treatment. Mason said there was no indication of a motive or that Haines and the man knew each other, and no danger to the wider community, according to ABC. "We are treating this as an isolated incident at this point in time," Mason said. The man was at Wangaratta Police Station and would be interviewed, ABC reported. The Major Collision Investigation Unit was traveling from Melbourne, and the site would remain a crime scene for some time, ABC reported.

In a statement reported in ABC's live coverage, Haines's family said she "was involved in an incident outside her Wangaratta Electorate Office, and is receiving medical care." The family thanked bystanders, health workers and police, asked for privacy and said family and staff would make no further comment.

Haines has been the federal member for Indi since 2019, ABC reported. Her official website lists her Wangaratta electorate office on Murphy Street.

Reuters also reported that Haines was in a critical condition. No charges had been announced as of 5:24 a.m. ET.