Helen Haines attack live updates: Brendan Nugent facing three charges over alleged ‘intentional’ attack; MP for Indi loses leg with surgeons trying to save other

Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said she had received harrowing threats during her time in public office as she revealed the measures she took to keep herself safe.

“I’ve changed my behaviour in some ways,” she told ABC’s 7.30 program. “I often, for example, don’t advertise street stalls on social media … I post photos after I’ve left an event, rather than if I’m at an event, if there’s no sense of security around.”

Plibersek said while there had “always been threats” against people in public office, social media had enabled threats to occur “on an industrial scale”.

“Yesterday, I posted something about Jacqui Lambie saying that I thought that the cartoon mocking her vaginal prolapse was in extremely poor taste, and 24 hours after I posted that, this afternoon, after this attack on Helen Haines, someone wrote under that post defending Jackie Landy, she deserves to meet a Land Cruiser. I don’t know what kind of person does that,” she said.

“Years ago, I had someone slip a note under my front door at home, no stamp on it or anything. They’d obviously turned up in person, saying they hope my children die of painful cancers. I’ve had, I mean, I couldn’t even count the number of death threats, rape threats that I’ve had over the years.”

Helen Haines’ alleged attacker Brendan Nugent has been charged with three offences as the independent MP continues to fight for her life in hospital following an “intentional attack” on Monday afternoon.

Nugent, 43, was charged with dangerous driving causing injury, intentionally causing injury and a Commonwealth offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official. Police allege the incident was targeted.

Haines, 65, was struck multiple times by a white Toyota LandCruiser on October 19 outside her office in Wangaratta, north-east Victoria about 3.35pm.

The independent MP for Indi was returning to her electorate office after attending a sod-turning event in a nearby town when she was struck.

Read more about the charges laid against Nugent here.

Hello and welcome back to our live coverage of Australia’s response to the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines in Wangaratta on Monday afternoon. Here’s what we know today.

• Helen Haines’ alleged attacker Brendan Nugent has been charged with three offences as the independent MP continues to fight for her life in hospital following what has been labelled by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as a deliberate attack.
• The member for Indi is still fighting for life in hospital and lost her leg during emergency surgery. Surgeons are trying to save the other.
• More details emerged yesterday about Nugent’s background. The 43-year-old clashed with neighbours in the nearby town of Tarrawingee, and local officers had visited his property over their complaints in the months before the targeted attack.
• Nugent’s family released a statement yesterday in which they said they were devastated by the alleged attack on Haines, who they described as their “close friend of more than 20 years”.