Australian MP Helen Haines is critically ill in hospital in Melbourne after being hit by a car in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says may have been a deliberate attack.
The independent MP, 65, was struck outside her constituency office in Wangaratta, in the state of Victoria, on Monday afternoon.
A man, 43, from the nearby town of Tarrawingee was detained at the scene by a passerby and police say a knife was found in the car.
Police are investigating whether it was an “intentional act” but say they do not believe there is an “ongoing threat to the community”.
Political leaders have expressed shock and dismay, with Albanese saying “there is no place for violence in a democracy”.
While Albanese said it was too early to understand the motive behind what had happened, he did say the political temperature had been rising in Australia.
His Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke backed up that statement with figures showing that reports of threatening or harassing behaviour towards politicians had risen from 951 to 1,067 in the past year.
Haines was hit by a white Toyota Landcruiser at 15:35 (04:35 GMT) outside her office on Murphy Street in Wangaratta, police say.
The town, which has a population of around 30,000, is a few hours north-east of Melbourne.
A witness told Australian broadcaster ABC they had heard a bang and seen a woman pinned between two cars.
Haines was initially taken to a hospital in Wangaratta but later moved to Melbourne by helicopter.
After being subdued and detained by the passersby, the suspect was arrested by police.
Announcing that counter terror police were involved in the investigation, the prime minister said: “This wasn’t an accident. There was a deliberate act, it would appear.”
In a statement, Victoria Police said: “At this stage, police are investigating as to whether this was an intentional act.
“It is not known yet if the parties are known to each other… The investigation remains ongoing.”
Although not necessarily a household name across Australia, in the political sphere Helen Haines is both well-known and well regarded as an anti-corruption campaigner.
There has been an outpouring of messages from politicians and party leaders across the breadth of the political spectrum. In an age of increasingly divisive politics, she is seen by many as a unifying force.
The independent MP has only been a federal parliamentarian for a relatively short time, having been elected in 2019. However, in that time she has become an influential advocate for integrity in politics.
Haines proposed legislation for a national anti-corruption watchdog in 2021, and has been credited for driving the creation of the National Anti-Corruption Commission under Labor in the previous parliamentary term.
She currently sits on the parliamentary committee responsible for its oversight.
Haines has often banded together with other key independents on issues that include climate action and gender equality.
Allegra Spender, another independent MP who has collaborated with Haines, called her “the best of us”.
An Australian parliamentary report warned last year that threats and physical attacks had increased “significantly over the past decade”.
A threat assessment by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation – the country’s equivalent of MI5 in the UK – warned last year that the risk of politically motivated violence was “already flashing red”.
Albanese became emotional as he talked about Haines in a live television interview on ABC’s 730.
He appeared close to tears when asked whether he and his colleagues talked among themselves about the threats and risks they face.
“Yes,” he replied, adding: “My concern at this point in time is for one, one of my colleagues.”
He described Haines as having “integrity”. In other political reaction:
* Opposition leader Angus Taylor – head of the Liberal Party – said he was “deeply saddened and distressed” by the news, and that Australians would be “angry and appalled by the attack on Helen”
* Senator Matt Canavan, leader of The Nationals, said his heart went out to Haines and her family “upon the news of this shocking attack”
* Greens leader Senator David Shoebridge said he was “horrified” to hear of the “apparent attack”, adding: “Helen is an extraordinary human being and brings people together like few others.”
* Senator Pauline Hanson, One Nation leader, said violence against elected representatives is “never acceptable”. She added: “Members of parliament and their staff must be able to serve their communities without fearing for their safety”
By BBC News
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