Dr Helen Haines, the popular independent MP for Indi, was hit by a car on Monday in what prime minister Anthony Albanese described as an “attack” and a “deliberate act”.
The incident has sent shockwaves through federal politics, with the bombshell of the apparent attack – of a type not seen in Australian public life – amplified by the fact it targeted Haines, a principled politician who is well-respected by virtually all across the parliament.
“There’s a reason why Helen Haines is so loved and admired, because she’s someone of integrity,” Albanese told the ABC’s 7.30.
“She’s someone who treats everyone with respect, and she’s someone who is a beacon of light for that community there in northern Victoria.”
A strident voice for integrity and honesty in politics, and a key figure in the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Haines’ advocacy for rural issues – particularly health, with a doctorate in medical science – is well-known in Canberra and nationally.
The member for the vast north-eastern Victorian electorate of Indi, taking in Wodonga, Wangaratta, and Benalla, Haines was first elected to federal parliament in 2019. A respected voice in rural health, she trained as a nurse and midwife, later becoming matron of a nursing hospital in Chiltern and later leading midwifery services at Wangaratta Hospital. Haines holds a master’s degree in public health and a PhD in medical science.
“My background in nursing guides my work. As a nurse and a midwife, you’re with people in their most joyous and difficult moments. It’s taught me that life is precious, that everyone deserves dignity and respect, that good policy starts with listening, and – as a health researcher – that facts matter,” Haines wrote on her website.
Haines became Indi MP after the retirement of Cathy McGowan, another popular local crossbencher who helped pioneer the community independent movement, with that electoral model helping inspiring the “teal” wave which won numerous inner-city Liberal-held seats.
While Haines is not considered a “teal” MP in the same way as Zali Steggall, Allegra Spender or Monique Ryan, the community-powered independent model and the “Voices Of” blueprint are common, and the crossbenchers often collaborate on key issues – from climate and gender equality to the issues Haines is best recognised for, integrity and anti-corruption.
As early as 2021, Haines proposed her own bill for a federal integrity commission, helping lead a major push inside the parliament for a national anti-corruption body which did not then exist. Haines’ bill was blocked from being debated by the Coalition government of the day, but her motion was seconded by then-Liberal MP Bridget Archer, who crossed the floor to vote against her own party. A famous photo of the pair walking out of the chamber together, Haines’ arm around Archer’s shoulder, helped crystallise the growing public keenness for a federal body to monitor corruption and integrity at the national level.
Haines now serves as the deputy chair of the parliamentary committee on the Nacc.
As late as this afternoon, in a statement released just an hour before the incident outside her electorate office, Haines welcomed the appointment of a new Nacc commissioner and deputy, saying it was a needed “reset” of the integrity body.
“The proposed appointments are an opportunity to rebuild public confidence and ensure the Commission can do its job with independence, credibility and integrity… The task now is to ensure the NACC has the leadership, culture, and public trust it needs to investigate corruption effectively and uphold the highest standards of integrity,” she said.
The breadth of the outpouring of shock, grief and devastation on all sides of the political aisle goes some way to illustrating the regard to which Haines is held: praise and kind words from prime minister Albanese to One Nation’s Pauline Hanson, from opposition leader Angus Taylor to Greens’ leader David Shoebridge, from ministers and backbenchers to her fellow members of the independent crossbench.
Sam Birrell, a Nationals MP whose electorate of Nicholls borders Indi, said the incident had “really has sent some shock waves through, all the MPs I’ve spoken to, and I can tell you the MPs families, too.”
“Helen Haines is not a divisive figure… she’s not a controversial person. She’s highly respected by me and everyone across the political aisle and in her electorate, I know that for a fact,” Birrell told the ABC.
Allegra Spender, a fellow community independent, called Haines “the best of us”.
“Helen is one of the most outstanding people in parliament. Whether you agree with her or you don’t on issues, you would be proud to see how she approaches issues in the Parliament; with compassion, with rigour, everything that you would want from a politician.”
“She’s really an inspiration.”
