Independent federal MP Helen Haines for the Victorian seat of Indi was seriously injured on 19 October 2026 in Wangaratta when Brendan Nugent allegedly rammed her twice with a vehicle and was later charged with causing serious injury and harm to a Commonwealth public official.

Haines, who succeeded fellow independent Cathy McGowan in 2019 as the first independent to follow another in Australian history and was a leading advocate for the National Anti-Corruption Commission, remains in critical condition and has lost one leg.

The article notes competing early explanations for the attack—ranging from gender-based violence and heated political discourse to mental-health concerns—and argues that greater crossbench representation of the kind Haines embodies could better address public grievance than party-machine politics.

It is not a good time to be a politician.  Prices are rising with extortionate speed.  Foolish wars continue being waged.  The banksters are in clover.  Corporate oligarchies are humming along.  The thieves in artificial intelligence are gloating about an end of civilisation they are happy to exploit for commercial reasons.  But even in these situations there are certain figures who have distinguished themselves with quiet tenacity.  They should be bottled and perfumed for posterity.   

Helen Haines, the federal Member for the rural Victorian seat of Indi, baffled psephologists with her electoral victory in 2019, becoming the first independent to succeed another in the country’s history.  The previous member, Cathy McGowan, had pioneered a form of grassroots political engagement that stressed the importance of representation and service over the hulking monster of party politics and vulgar self-interest.  

Haines has shown herself to be a most unusual........

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