Australian independent MP Helen Haines has lost both legs after a car struck her outside her Wangaratta office on Monday. Police allege the attack was deliberate, and a man, Brendan Nugent, has been charged.
According to Al Jazeera, Haines’s left leg was amputated at a Melbourne hospital, and her right leg was amputated on Wednesday, two days later. Her husband, Phil Haines, told DW that she is alive and stable, and that her heart and mind are in good shape.
Brendan Nugent, 43, of Tarrawingee, appeared in Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, according to BBC World. He was charged with three offences and did not apply for bail or enter a plea. Al Jazeera reports the charges are dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, and causing harm to a public official. Cannabis cultivation and possession charges have also been laid.
Authorities said the driver turned the car around, veered at Haines and pinned her against her vehicle, then reversed and rammed her again, according to Al Jazeera.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, "This wasn’t an accident. There was a deliberate act, it would appear," according to DW.
Victoria Police said the motive is not yet established. According to BBC World, police said Nugent was not on their radar and that there was no intelligence of any threat to Haines before the incident. Whether drug use or medication played a role is under investigation.
The sources differ on some details. Al Jazeera implies the left leg was amputated on Monday, while DW says the ABC and the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Tuesday that it had been amputated. DW says police described the SUV as a white Toyota. BBC World and Al Jazeera say it was a Toyota LandCruiser or Land Cruiser. BBC World also reports that police said more charges may be laid, including attempted murder. The other sources list only the three charges and the cannabis offences.
BBC World is the only source describing Nugent as an environmental campaigner, and it is also the only source reporting a family statement about him. No second outlet has confirmed either point. Nugent’s lawyer has not otherwise responded, beyond court comments about his mental health and a rare neurological condition. No hospital statement on Haines’s condition appears in the sources, so her family’s account comes from her husband alone.
Nugent remains in custody until his next court appearance in February. Police are continuing the investigation with counterterrorism and federal support and may lay more charges.
The attack comes amid rising concern about threats to politicians. Threats against Australian lawmakers and electorate offices doubled between 2021 and 2025, with 1,067 incidents reported to police last year. Haines entered parliament in 2019 after working as a nurse and midwife. Federal police have said that individual protection for all 226 federal MPs would require "incredible" staffing, so protection is assessed by role and threat environment. Senator James Paterson has called for a security review of MPs.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.