The quiet rural Victorian town of Wangaratta, home to just under 30,000 residents, has been shaken by a brutal alleged attack that has left its well-loved federal independent member of parliament fighting for recovery, after a violent incident that has left locals and national leaders alike stunned.
Long known as a welcoming stop for tourists heading to nearby regional wineries and the host of a popular annual jazz and blues festival, Wangaratta is now in an unwanted national spotlight. All conversations here now turn to the events of Monday afternoon, when police say Helen Haines, the town’s sitting MP, was deliberately struck by a car outside her local electorate office.
In the wake of the attack, Haines was airlifted to a major hospital in Melbourne, where surgeons were forced to amputate both of her legs. In an update shared this week, her husband Phil Haines confirmed that while her recovery will be long and arduous, the MP’s core health remains strong. “The two most important parts of Helen – her heart and her mind – are in good shape,” he said.
Across the tight-knit community, residents uniformly describe Haines as a unifying, deeply caring public servant, with no one able to explain why she would be targeted. Jane Hill, who owns a party supply shop just a few hundred metres from the attack site on Wangaratta’s main street, told reporters: “Everyone knows Helen. She is such a good person in our community. She’d go to everything – celebrations, funerals, she’s one of those genuinely kind people – and so is her entire family.”
Brendan Nugent, a local man whose father has shared a decades-long friendship with Haines, has been charged with three offences including intentionally causing harm following a court appearance on Wednesday. Victoria Police have confirmed they are considering additional, more severe charges, including attempted murder.
First elected to federal parliament in 2019, Haines has built a national profile for her years of persistent advocacy that led to the establishment of Australia’s national anti-corruption commission, which officially launched under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government in 2023. Her push for the independent body grew out of years of frustration over high-profile political scandals, which she said saw public funds wasted for partisan political gain, excessive spending on unnecessary “shiny infrastructure” in marginal electorates, and policy decisions that prioritized wealthy political donors over the needs of everyday Australians.
Beyond her national anti-corruption work, Haines has focused heavily on delivering for her often-overlooked regional constituency, securing funding for new housing developments, upgrades to regional rail networks, and expanded local health infrastructure. A former nurse and midwife before entering politics, she has also earned praise for her work on climate action and Indigenous rights from local leaders, including Wangaratta Mayor Irene Grant, who called her “warm, cheerful, and deeply committed” to her community.
Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush also highlighted Haines’ support for local law enforcement last year, when two officers were shot and killed in nearby Porepunkah. Even in the moments after the attack, as she lay severely injured, bystanders who rushed to help her recalled Haines stopping to thank those who came to her aid.
Jacklyn Black, one of the first responders on the scene, told Australia’s Nine Network Today show: “We were having conversations, she was telling me about her grandkids. To be in that situation and be as calm as she could be in the moment, but also thankful to the aid that the community had given her – I could not speak any more highly of her.” Fellow bystander Cody Lepoidevin echoed that sentiment, saying simply: “She just thanked everyone.”
The community has rallied around Haines in the days since the attack, with floral tributes piling up outside her Wangaratta office, and hundreds of residents gathering for a candlelight vigil at the local Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral to offer support. Many attendees wore campaign T-shirts emblazoned with “Team Helen Haines”, sharing hugs with clergy and one another as they grieved and prayed for Haines’ recovery.
The attack has also spurred acts of bravery from other locals. Ricky Jefferies, owner of RickyChops barbershop located next door to Haines’ office, rushed outside when he heard commotion and pinned the suspect to the ground until police arrived. “I just leant over him and once he was on the ground and he was no longer a threat, I just stood with him, and I told him that he can’t leave,” Jefferies explained. Dismissing calls that he is a hero, Jefferies said: “I don’t think I’m a hero. I think that I just was a person who had an opportunity to intervene in a safe-ish sort of way.” The community has already pushed back on his humility, leaving a bouquet of flowers and a thank-you balloon tied to his barbershop door.
Australia’s Governor-General Sam Mostyn, who represents King Charles as the nation’s head of state, echoed the shock felt across the country during a Wednesday press conference, saying: “People are simply dumbfounded and finding it very hard to fathom the scale of this tragedy.”
Many locals have stressed that the attack does not reflect the values of their close community. One resident stood outside Haines’ office this week holding an Australian flag, wearing a T-shirt that read “Wangaratta – this is not us!!”, a sentiment repeated by residents across the town. Austin Longfield, who lives in nearby Albury, said: “Whether you vote for her or not, she seems to have the community at heart so that’s all you can really ask for; a politician that represents your community. It’s just something that you wouldn’t expect in our community. You see it in other countries and it’s just something that I didn’t comprehend could happen here.”
Phil Haines said this week the family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, saying he has received “thousands upon thousands” of messages of love from across the country. “I can only say how much of a difference that makes to all of us,” he said. “Helen’s road to recovery will be long and difficult, but we know she is a fighter.”