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Man charged with attack on Australian MP as suspect's father says she is family friend

Katy Watson,Australia correspondent, Wangaratta, north-east Victoriaand
Phelan Chatterjee
AFP via Getty Images Women leaving flowers outside Helen Haines's officeAFP via Getty Images
The community in Wangaratta remains in shock after the alleged attack

A 43-year-old man has been charged after Australian MP Helen Haines was hit by a car in the state of Victoria on Monday.

The suspect will appear in court on Wednesday to face charges of dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and the federal offence of causing harm to a public official.

Local media earlier named the alleged attacker as environmental activist Brendan Nugent. His father and his partner said they had been friends with Haines "for more than 20 years" and thanked residents and officers who helped her after the "shocking and horrific crime".

Haines remains in a critical condition after surgery and is reported to have lost one of her legs.

"Helen Haines is a deeply respected, valued and much loved member of our local community," Rod Nugent and his partner Christine Cunningham said in a statement.

"All of our love and all of our thoughts are with Helen and her family and friends."

They promised to assist Victoria Police "in any way we can".

Police say they will allege the incident was targeted.

Haines, 65, the independent member for Indi, is in a critical but stable condition after undergoing surgery at a Melbourne hospital.

Getty Images Helen Haines, wearing a light blue blazer and glasses, speaks to reporters indoors, gesturing with both hands. Several microphones are visible in the foreground, while a man wearing a white T-shirt and yellow lanyard stands blurred in the background.Getty Images
Helen Haines sits as an independent MP for the electoral division of Indi in Australia's state of Victoria

She was airlifted there after bystanders rushed to help.

A local barber who was there says he pulled the suspect out of his car.

"I don't think I'm a hero. I think that I was just a person who had an opportunity to intervene in a safe-ish way," said Ricky Jefferies.

Others who helped "didn't even check for danger", he added. "The car was still on and they sat in front of a rolling car, that's not an exaggeration."

In their statement, Victoria Police say a highway patrol unit was nearby at the time of the incident and "on scene" within eight seconds of the call coming through.

As they announced the charges against the 43-year-old, they said they had searched a property in Tarrawingee, around 12km (7.5 miles) from Wangaratta.

"At this stage it appears this is an isolated incident, and there are currently no other known threats connected to this matter," they said, adding officers would maintain a presence in Wangaratta.

Map of Wangaratta and Tarrawingee in the Victoria's northeast, with Murphy Street, where MP was allegedly struck, higlighted. An inset map highlights the area’s location within Australia.

Haines won the seat of Indi as an independent in 2019, and has since become a prominent member of the crossbench, building rapport across Australia's increasingly divided political spectrum.

The community, and country, remain in shock.

At a vigil on Tuesday, locals queued patiently in the aisle of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, waiting for their turn to light a candle. Priests hugged some of those who came to pay their respects.

Wangaratta's main street, where Haines's office is located, had reopened to traffic. Cars slowly filed past the growing number of bouquets being left for her on the pavement.

One card read: "May you recover quickly and continue to be a light in this world."