The man detained on suspicion of ramming Australian MP Helen Haines has been identified as an environmental campaigner whose family have been friends with the politician for years.
Dr Haines, 65, was hospitalised in a serious condition and reportedly had a leg amputated after a man struck her with his car and then reversed to hit her a second time in Wangaratta on Monday.
Anti-terrorism police are investigating but yet to establish a motive. Police said on Tuesday that a 43-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and the Commonwealth offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.
Australian media earlier identified the man arrested at the scene as Brendan Nugent from nearby Tarrawingee.
The suspect's father, Rod Nugent, and his partner, Christine Cunningham, said in a statement that the attack was “devastating and unfathomable”.
“Helen Haines is a deeply respected, valued and much loved member of our local community,” they said on Tuesday.
“Helen has been our friend for more than 20 years and what happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable. All of our love and all of our thoughts are with Helen and her family and friends.
“We would like to sincerely thank members of the local community and police who came to Helen's aid yesterday after the shocking and horrific crime.
“We will be assisting Victoria Police in any way we can.”
Victoria Police said on Tuesday that a 43-year-old Tarrawingee man had been taken into police custody around 3.40pm on Monday afternoon after he was initially restrained by a member of the public. A search warrant was executed at a Great Alpine Road property in Tarrawingee this morning.
He will be held overnight to appear at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.
Who is Brendan Nugent?
Brendan Nugent, 43, was arrested at the scene on Monday after being detained by a witness to the incident, according to Australia’s ABC.
The campaigner, from nearby Tarrawingee, appeared to be a “longtime local” to the Indi electorate that Dr Haines had served since 2019, the broadcaster reported.
Mr Nugent had posted on his social media channels about the environment and politics for some years, and was an active member of the Save Our Strathbogie Forest group.
Online records show he played football for the Wangaratta High School in his youth.
He has claimed since at least 2022 to be living with a disability and in “chronic pain”, and said that despite receiving benefits for his condition, he was “constantly broke” from the associated costs.
He had posted about medicinal cannabis use but it was unclear whether he had used the drug.
An account linked to Mr Nugent posted on domestic and foreign policy issues, and followed a large number of climate-related groups.
The account in 2019 responded to one of Ms Haines’ posts about the future of Australian farming in the face of climate change, saying: “Would’ve been nice to include a politician who takes climate change seriously, such as yourself.”
What happened to Dr Helen Haines?
Dr Haines, the Independent MP for Indi, a rural electorate north of Melbourne, was airlifted to hospital after being struck outside her office by a 4x4 vehicle in Wangaratta on Monday afternoon.
Early investigations suggested the car hit Haines as she was loading or unloading things from the trunk of her car, prime minister Anthony Albanese said.
A knife was found inside the Toyota Landcruiser, police said, adding that there was no further threat to the public.
Witness Ricky Jefferies ran from his barber shop, restraining the attacker and removing a knife from him after initially believing the incident was a car accident, Australian media reported.
“I heard a loud bang with no brakes. It was crazy, I just ran out to the front to see what's happening,” Jefferies told reporters outside his shop.
“I didn't realise the seriousness of the situation initially, and once it became relevant I just did what I could and what others were already trying to do.”
Dr Haines underwent surgery overnight and remained in critical condition on Tuesday. Australian media, citing unidentified sources, reported she had lost one leg as a result of her injuries and that doctors were working to save the other leg.
Mr Albanese told a news conference on Monday that it was too early to determine the motive for the attack, but later pointed to how social media had raised the temperature of politics in a country where such violence is extremely rare.
Dr Haines' family posted on her Facebook page, saying: “We thank the swift assistance of bystanders and the dedicated health workers who assisted her, and police for their response.”
Who is Helen Haines?
The former nurse and midwife has served as an MP since 2019, when she became the first independent to succeed another independent in the same seat in Australia’s parliament. She was re-elected in 2022 and again in 2025.
Dr Haines worked in nursing and midwifery and as an academic before being elected to parliament as an independent in 2019 in the seat of Indi.
Her website says she has opposed proposals including making political donations to the major parties more secretive, banning mobile phones in immigration detention and spending billions on fossil fuel subsidies.
She grew up with four brothers on a dairy farm near Colac in Victoria's South-West, according to a biography on her website, and now lives with her husband on a small working farm.
Dr Haines spent three decades working in rural healthcare, completing a doctoral thesis at Sweden's Uppsala University on childbirth.
In her first speech to parliament, she spoke of the “privilege” to have been able to care for people “as they take their first breath of life and as they take their last”.
“Midwives are the hand that guides the hand that rocks the cradle that rules the world,” she said, laying out the challenges in access to healthcare for many Australians, and the constraints especially squeezing those in rural areas.
She turned to politics in 2019 as part of a community movement in Indi, traditionally a conservative stronghold, called "Voices for Indi". Three years later, she held her seat with a significantly larger margin of 8.9 per cent.
In parliament, she has championed causes including climate change, regional housing and worked with the ruling Labor government to establish a National Anti-Corruption Commission.
“As an Independent I work in partnership with the community, councils, small business and local industry – to figure out what we need and how to make it happen,” she wrote on her website.
“Together, we’ve achieved a lot; a record number of mobile phone towers, funding for major projects, recovery from natural disasters, and more housing infrastructure.
“We’ve pushed to improve integrity, for better support for regional Australia and against funding cuts to essential services.”
"She's someone who is very passionate about her community,” Albanese told public broadcaster ABC. “She's someone who's not shy about coming forward about what she thinks that community needs, but she's also someone who plays a role in the parliament.”
"She's just a thoroughly decent, respectful human being who is a delight to work with, and her presence in the Parliament adds to it."
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