Helen Haines in critical condition after suspected car attack

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Helen Haines in critical condition after suspected car attack.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the collision in which independent MP Helen Haines was seriously injured as a deliberate act. "It is very clear that this was a deliberate act," Albanese said on Tuesday. Haines is in critical condition at Melbourne's Alfred Hospital.

For you, this means: Australian authorities evidently expect the worst — a senior government leader is already calling it deliberate while investigations are still under way, and a joint counter-terrorism unit is taking over the case. This does not happen in Australia without reason.

What is known so far about the incident in Wangaratta

Helen Haines is an independent Australian MP who is respected in parliament across party lines. On October 20, she was struck by a car in the small town of Wangaratta and seriously injured. She was then taken to Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where she is being treated in critical condition.

According to Albanese's account of the initial findings, the driver initially passed Haines on the road, then turned around and deliberately drove back toward her. At that moment, the MP was taking things out of or putting them into the trunk of her car.

It appears that the driver of the vehicle that caused the damage to Helen Haines turned around to return to where Helen Haines was after having previously passed her on the road.

Albanese: "That was not an accident"

Albanese was unusually unequivocal in his assessment of the incident. "It is very clear that this was a deliberate act, this was not an accident — someone here did not simply come off the road," he said. The statement carries significant weight because it comes amid ongoing investigations: the government leader apparently sees no plausible explanation other than a targeted act.

Counter-terrorism unit investigates — reactions from parliament

According to the Guardian, a joint counter-terrorism unit of Australia's security authorities has taken over the investigation. This is unusual in Australia and signals that the authorities are not ruling out, at the very least, a politically motivated background. The live blog has so far provided no confirmed information about arrests or charges.

MPs from parliament responded with sharp condemnation. Haines is regarded in parliament as a prominent MP respected across party lines. The live blog is being updated continuously.