Helen Haines attack live updates: Indi MP in critical condition after attack outside Wangaratta office; 43-year-old man in custody

The crime scene has been cleared outside Haines’ electorate office in Wangaratta.

As of this morning, the street and path outside the office are empty except for a growing media presence.

Here’s how it looks this morning.

Helen Haines, 65, is the independent federal representative for Indi, a north-east Victorian electorate that stretches up to Wodonga near the NSW border.

Before entering parliament, Haines had a decades-long career in healthcare. She worked as a nurse, midwife and health researcher, publishing dozens of academic articles. She grew up on a dairy farm in Eurack, in southwestern Victoria, and has been married to her husband, Phil Haines, since 1986. The couple have raised three children and live on a beef farm outside Wangaratta.

Haines seized on the same momentum and was endorsed by McGowan to run as the local MP. She was the first independent to succeed another independent in federal parliament, and has held Indi on an 8 per cent margin in the two elections since.

Haines has advocated for climate change action and regional services, particularly healthcare. She has also been a strong advocate for integrity and transparency in politics, and was instrumental in campaigning for a national anti-corruption body.

Haines is a widely respected member of parliament. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described her as an incredibly hardworking MP on Monday night.

Indi MP Helen Haines is in a critical condition after she was struck by a car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, north-east Victoria, just after 3.30pm yesterday.

• Haines was struck by a Toyota Landcruiser outside her office on Murphy Street yesterday. The 65-year-old MP suffered serious injuries and was rushed to Melbourne for treatment where she remains in a critical condition. Witnesses told Nine and the ABC they saw Haines pinned between two vehicles just outside her office as she was near her own car.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last night during a press conference that it was an intentional attack and was being investigated in a multi-agency effort, but that it was too early to determine the motivation of the attack.
• A 43-year-old man from Tarrawingee, about 12 kilometres east from Wangaratta, was arrested at the scene and remains in custody as police and counterterrorism teams investigate his background. Police found a knife in the man’s car.
• Fellow parliamentarians – including Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, Greens leader David Shoebridge, and Victorian Premier Ben Carroll – expressed their horror and sadness at the attack last night, and said political violence should not be accepted as a normal part of public life in Australia.

We will continue to bring you live updates on this unfolding story here on our rolling blog.