Police charge accused Brendan Nugent with additional offences – as it happened

Thank you for joining us today. We are going to pause our coverage of the attack on Helen Haines for now. Here’s what has happened so far today:

• The independent MP for Indi remains in a critical condition at the Alfred hospital in Melbourne. Haines has lost one leg, and surgeons operated on Tuesday in an effort to save the other.

• Alleged attacker Brendan Nugent has been charged and appeared at a Wangaratta magistrates court this morning. The chief commissioner of Victoria police, Mike Bush, said police were considering further charges. Nugent has not requested bail and remains in custody.

• Many in the Wangaratta community are still grappling with the events.

The mayor of Wangaratta, Irene Grant, says the community is in “collective shock and sadness” after the alleged attack on Helen Haines.

Wangaratta council is holding a special meeting this afternoon to pass a resolution condemning violence against the independent MP, and maintaining “threats and intimidation have absolutely no place in our communities or our democracy”.

Grant told the meeting she was in “absolute disbelief that this should happen”:

This is a deeply distressing time for Helen, her family, her staff, and our entire community.

She said she had spoken to the governor general, Sam Mostyn, who expressed her support during what had been a “very difficult and emotional time”.

Grant said Mostyn had told her:

“Moments like this do not define us – what defines us is how we respond.”

The local state member, Tim McCurdy, is in attendance at the meeting, as our councillors and mayors from nearby regions.

Liberal MP says comments made in parliament last week were ‘regrettable’

The Liberal frontbencher Angie Bell has released a statement about the alleged attack on the independent MP Helen Haines.

Bell’s statement expresses regret about the comments she made last week, when she said the the small business minister, Anne Aly, and the prime minister should be “shamed and stoned in the square” over a decision made by the tax office. Aly condemned the comments as “racist” and “misogynistic”.

Bell said:

My thoughts are first and foremost with my friend Helen Haines and her family. This is a shocking attack on an outstanding MP who works diligently for her community.

She added:

My regrettable comment last week was a poor choice of words in the context of the challenges facing small businesses. It was not helpful or planned, which is why I immediately withdrew it and attempted to rectify this with Dr Aly.

While the motive for this horrific attack on Helen is not yet clear, there is absolutely no place for political violence in Australia. Australians must be free to disagree passionately, but there is no justification for threats or violence.

The independent ACT senator David Pocock says Helen Haines is “the MP we all wish we had”, telling the National Press Club in Canberra that working with her was one of “the great privileges of serving in our parliament”.

Pocock has also called out what he claimed was political actors using anger and hate “for political advantage”, including spreading misinformation.

“You [Haines] make our politics in this country better. That someone would deliberately hurt you, I find unfathomable,” Pocock told the Press Club in a speech.

He added:

We must meet this attack on you by doubling down on the values you represent, that you champion so hard in our parliament every day … now is the time to think about what brings us together. To defend our shared values, our democracy, and our freedom to live as Australians.

Pocock said he was concerned about increasing threats against politicians, an issue he spoke about with his wife, and the safety risks for people in public life.

Prime minister repeats calls to quell the anger in public discourse, citing protest at his office

Anthony Albanese has repeated calls to turn the political temperature down, telling News24 that his electoral office in Sydney has faced multiple protests.

He says the electorate office is largely for constituents to get help from staff with issues like Centrelink, migration, Medicare and healthcare.

He says he was forced to move offices, but protesters still demonstrate outside the old location.

He tells News24:

And the fact that tactics were used, such as regularly opening the door of my elector office, shoving in balloons full of what essentially were stink bombs, to make it uninhabitable for either staff or constituents, meant that it simply wasn’t tolerable, as well as the abuse that was suffered.

My old electorate office was in the grounds of the Anglican church St Clement’s there in Marrickville Road, and people going to church, it shared a car park as well. People going to church were being abused and it became such that the church … wanted us to to move. So that has occurred. Bizarrely, the demonstration is still outside my former office.

Helen Haines remains in critical condition in Melbourne hospital, PM says

Anthony Albanese tells News24 he has spoken to Helen Haines’s husband this morning and that she remains in critical condition in hospital:

Helen remains in a critical condition … It’s up to the family to make further statements when and and if they think that’s appropriate.

Parliamentarians are receiving briefings all day today from the Asio boss, the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian federal police, after the alleged attack on Helen Haines.

Anthony Albanese, who just attended a briefing for Labor MPs, said it was an opportunity for them to ask questions or raise concerns with the security bosses.

The crossbench and Coalition will get separate briefings today.

Albanese tells News24:

There’s been an increase in funding for security for members of parliament in the last couple of years, and this is an opportunity for people who feel anxious to be able to ask questions as well of the security agencies as well as the Department of Home Affairs.

Albanese is asked whether all parliamentarians could get individual security personnel. He says:

I think that risk assessments are made, and those risk assessments are done as best as possible. But here in this tragic circumstance with Helen Haines, she was getting something out of the boot of her car. Now people do need to go about their business.

One of Nugent’s neighbours in Tarrawingee was in the courtroom as Nugent appeared. The neighbour, who asked for their name to withhold, said they were shaking but “wanted to look him in the eye”.

“I felt it was something I needed to do,” the neighbour said.

He added:

I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing, but I’m really glad I have now. It’s like it’s finishing off a very bad chapter in our life.

Alleged attacker leaves court in police van

Brendan Nugent has been charged with additional offences, on top of the three other charges he is facing.

The fourth charge was revealed in a summary of charges released to the media- alleging he cultivated and used cannabis

This is in addition to the charges of of dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury and the commonwealth offence of causing harm to a commonwealth public official.

His lawyer, Chirag Patel, has just exited court in Wangaratta and declined to speak to the media.

Nugent has also left the court via a police van.

Nugent’s lawyer describes his client’s neurological condition

Brendan Nugent’s lawyer revealed details about his client’s medical condition – idiopathic transverse myelitis – at this morning’s hearing.

It is an inflammatory disorder of the spinal cord which leads to loss of muscle power, sensory symptoms (pins and needles) and bladder and bowel dysfunction, according to the Brain Foundation.

Treatment depends on the underlying cause but can include intravenous steroids and other drugs to suppress inflammation. In the majority of cases, there will be some residual impairment in limb function.

Brendan Nugent’s hearing has wrapped after a matter of minutes.

He appeared at Wangaratta district court on Wednesday morning, looking downcast in a grey jumper, before being removed from the court.

Brendan Nugent has not requested bail and will remain in custody until a committal mention on 4 February.

Magistrate Allison Vaughan noted he had mental health and neurological concerns and it was his first time in custody.

He is not on any prescribed medication and his lawyer said he was not withdrawing from any substances, however Vaughan asked a mental health professional to see him immediately after appearing in court.

His lawyer, Chirag Patel, said he was also suffering from concussion and idiopathic transverse myelitis – a neurological condition.

Barrett says AFP ‘didn’t have any specific intelligence’ on alleged attacker’s political views

Krissy Barrett was asked about the increasingly radicalised political views the man accused of attacking Helen Haines allegedly posted on social media. The AFP commissioner was asked whether the AFP was aware of any of his posts on X and other social media.

“We didn’t have any specific intelligence that would have indicated something as atrocious as happened on Monday afternoon,” Barrett said.

“We absolutely do proactively use online capabilities to gather intelligence and a huge part of my priority as the commissioner is: how do we better utilise technology?

“You would understand that the increasing volume of online communication becomes increasingly more difficult for our agencies to be right across.”

Barrett told reporters: “I can confirm we had no holdings or no intelligence to suggest that there was any threat to MP Haines.”

The AFP will give politicians a series of security briefings in Canberra today.

Helen Haines’s electoral office is less than 100 metres from Wangaratta magistrates court, where Brendan Nugent is expected to appear after 10am.

This morning, the court is surrounded by media cameras awaiting his arrival, while her office remains shuttered. Dozens of flowers and cards have been left for her in the hours since her attack, many in her signature orange.

“To doctor Helen Haines, to show you some support you’ve shown us through difficult times,” one reads from the eastern region of Victoria police.

Another, in child’s writing, says simply: “To Helen Haines, you’re very nice.”

‘Criminal threat environment is febrile’: AFP commissioner

Speaking at the same press conference, the Australian Federal Police commissioner Krissy Barrett has said the current “criminal threat environment is febrile”.

Barrett said national security investigations teams were established late last year to target people who threaten commonwealth parliamentarians or high office holders.

The purpose of setting them up was because of the increasing number of threats and the increasing number of reports that we’re receiving from parliamentarians and from their staff, but also our own proactive intelligence work in terms of identifying and addressing these threats and this type of communication, particularly in the online space.

The Australian federal police commissioner, Krissy Barrett, says police are “charging almost one individual every week for targeting commonwealth parliamentarians or high office holders”.

When it comes to federal parliamentarians, the AFP continues to record the growing volume of online abuse, threatening rhetoric, and intimidation, increasing political polarisation, and antigovernment sentiment, conspiracy-driven and grievance-based behaviours, lone actors motivated by a convergence of personal grievance, mental health vulnerabilities, and ideological concerns, and the potential for violence to emerge with little or no forewarning – particularly where individuals have no previous protection intelligence footprint.

Police considering further charges against alleged attacker

The chief commissioner of Victoria police, Mike Bush, has told reporters the 43-year-old charged over the alleged attack on Helen Haines was currently facing three charges: the commonwealth offence of causing harm to a commonwealth public official; and two state charges of intentionally causing serious harm, and dangerous driving causing serious harm.

But Bush said police were considering further serious charges. He was asked directly whether the man could be charged with attempted murder.

That’s always a consideration. Of course, we have to locate and follow the evidence, but this is a very serious and tragic incident, and we will be looking at all serious charges.

But, of course, we have to have the evidence to support those charges.