The latest on the Helen Haines 'attack' + The Greens’ new anti-Labor playbook

Chris Spyrou (0:08)

Hey Chris Spyrou, with you, welcome to The Briefing. In a rare move, the Greens have twice teamed up with the Coalition in the last week alone to block or delay Labor legislation. It follows a change in leader and a perceived bouncy momentum for the party, but is this a strategy that will win votes come 2028? And will recent headlines surrounding allegations against Senator Jordon Steele-John and factional infighting disrupt the party's future plans?

Tom Ballard (0:33)

I certainly hope the party can figure its shit out in terms of internal processes and what is essentially unofficial factionalism, which does exist in every branch of the Greens, as it exists in every political party.

Chris Spyrou (0:46)

That chat with Tom Ballard is coming up in the second half of this episode. First though, let's get into the headlines for Sacha Barbour Gatt on Tuesday the 20th of October.

Anthony Albanese (0:56)

Tonight, I want to update Australians on a serious incident that has occurred in Victoria. This afternoon, Helen Haines, the member for Indi, was attacked outside her electorate office in Wangaratta.

Sacha Barbour Gatt (1:10)

That was Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaking there last night following an attack on independent MP Helen Haines in the Victorian city of Wangaratta. The member for Indi remains in hospital after she was hit and pinned between two cars outside her electorate office yesterday afternoon, with police investigating whether it was an intentional attack. They've confirmed a 43-year-old man has been taken into custody following a citizen's arrest at the scene.

Ashley Mason (1:36)

That male is currently at the Wangaratta police station and will be interviewed by investigators. After the male was detained, there was a knife located, I believe, inside the vehicle that he was driving, and that has been seized by police.

Sacha Barbour Gatt (1:48)

Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason speaking there, Victoria Police has confirmed 65-year-old Haines has been airlifted to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne in a critical condition and is suffering life-threatening injuries.

Chris Spyrou (2:00)

While police did not say the incident was deliberate, Anthony Albanese did during an appearance on ABC's at 7.3 last night.

Anthony Albanese (2:07)

This wasn't an accident and the suspect is in custody.

Chris Spyrou (2:12)

The PM has also confirmed that a joint counter-terrorism team has been called in, but says it's too early to say what the possible motive was. It's understood the man in custody is known to police and will undergo a mental health assessment. Well-wishes have been pouring in for Haines, who has long served regional communities in Victoria, first working as a nurse and midwife and then as a member for Indi, following her election as an independent in 2019

Albanese spoke about her integrity, calling her hard-working, fiercely intelligent, and a thoroughly decent human being.

Sacha Barbour Gatt (2:44)

The Victorian Premier has released a statement saying he is deeply appalled by this violent attack on Helen Haines. He said, My thoughts and the thoughts of all Victorians are with Helen, her family, her friends, her colleagues, and her community.

Federal opposition leader Angus Taylor, meantime, says he is deeply saddened and distressed at the news and warned political attacks cannot be normalised in Australia.

Chris Spyrou (3:06)

As the news broke last night that this likely was an intentional attack, the conversation did turn to political violence. At a press conference, the Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke, spoke about the recent rise in threats to politicians.

SPEAKER_6 (3:19)

The year before last we had 951 reports of harassing and threatening behaviour against various high office holders. The more recent financial year, that 951 has gone to 1067

Sacha Barbour Gatt (3:32)

And you might remember in March last year, we heard from the then AFP commissioner who delivered a warning to parliamentarians about the threats that had been facing them ahead of the federal election back in 2025

And he spoke about how some MPs had been sent bullets in the mail, while women had been threatened with sexual violence. And as we've heard, a motive is yet to be established. But there are calls for a cooling of political discourse in the wake of the apparent attack on Haines.

Anthony Albanese (3:59)

Go look up the interviews in which I've done and call for the temperature to be turned down when it comes to political discourse. It is too early though to speculate on motivation and we won't be doing so. We'll allow the authorities to do their work.

Sacha Barbour Gatt (4:16)

Yeah, so a lot of reactions coming through last night, Chris, a massive story and it remains that way today. As to what will happen next, we'll likely get an update on the investigation today. We might hear about charges potentially being laid. And hopefully we'll find out more about how Helen Haines is doing. Because I think, you know, the PM made that point quite a few times last night. You know, he spoke across, he did the press conference, he did ABC 730 I watched quite a lot of it. And a number of times he said, our thoughts need to be with Helen right now. And that's exactly what I think a lot of Australians are primarily concerned with. Look, her family has also released a statement asking for privacy, but also thanking the efforts of bystanders who, as we heard, not only administered first aid to Helen, but also carried out a citizen's arrest.