Messages of love, support, admiration and appreciation for Dr Helen Haines, Independent Federal MP for Indi in north eastern Victoria, have flooded social media after she suffered critical injuries when allegedly struck by a Toyota Landcruiser in the regional Victorian city of Wangaratta yesterday afternoon.
A Victoria Police statement said a 43-year-old Tarrawingee man was charged today with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury and the Commonwealth offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official. He is due to appear at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court tomorrow. Police will allege the incident was targeted.
Haines, 65, remains in the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne in a critical but stable condition, having lost one leg.
Her website says: “The North-East has been my home for almost 40 years. My husband and I run a small farm, our kids went to school here, and I plan to grow old here.
“Through my work as a nurse, midwife and health researcher, I’ve cared for people in our community during some of their most important moments. As your Independent Federal Member of Parliament, I don’t back down, and I don’t settle for less than what we deserve. I’m not beholden to a political party and call out bad decisions, no matter who made them. I fight for you and work to get results for our community, even when the going is tough. As your Independent voice in Parliament, I work with you, and work for you.”
Health and community leaders sent messages acknowledging her contributions across many fields, including nursing, midwifery, rural health, public health, healthcare policy, climate action and academia. Her staunch support for Treaty in Victoria has also been acknowledged.
Many are calling for systematic responses to tackle escalating hate speech and violence against women and others.
Below are comments from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Allied Health Professions Australia, the National Rural Health Alliance, AMA Victoria, the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives, Australian College of Nursing, Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association, CRANA Plus, Gellung Warl – The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West, Climate Council, the Public Health Association of Australia, ACOSS, Doctors for the Environment Australia and others.
At the end of the post are details of a candlelight vigil on 23 October.
The National Rural Health Alliance said in a statement:
The National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) is deeply shocked and distressed by the violent attack on Dr Helen Haines MP. We send Helen our love and very best wishes as she remains in a critical condition. Our thoughts are with her husband and her children, her staff, and the people of Wangaratta.
Helen has spent her working life serving rural communities and supporting the health and wellbeing of her community. Before entering Parliament, she worked in rural health for three decades as a nurse, midwife, researcher, and health leader. Her public life reflects this care, with a clear understanding of what rural people need, and Helen was clear in her advocacy for health, services, and the future of regional communities. She worked closely with the NRHA, advocating passionately on our behalf to improve access to health care, especially with the recent release of our new report on the health expenditure deficit in rural Australia.
If two words capture what Helen brings to this rural work, they are integrity and honesty, which have become so rare. Helen listens, works hard, and asks difficult questions with respect, at a time when rural people are being overlooked. Her contribution is a reminder of what public service can be – that is, a genuine commitment to making communities stronger and ensuring people are heard.
NRHA Chief Executive Susi Tegen said the attack was a distressing and disturbing reminder of the human cost of hatred, intimidation and retaliation in public life.
“Violence has no place in our Australian democracy. No one should have to fear for their or their family’s safety because they have chosen to serve their community,” Ms Tegen said.
“We are living in a time when anger, contempt and self-interest can too easily crowd out respect and ethical behaviour, challenging the foundation that we need for a stable society. We must not accept threats, abuse or intimidation as the price of taking part in public life. The way we speak about and to one another matters. We have a shared responsibility to treat people with decency, even when we disagree.”
Tegen said Helen’s contribution mattered far beyond Indi.
“Helen has helped to bring rural experience into national conversations that too often happen without rural people in the room. Rural communities need representatives like Helen, who listen, who do the hard work, and who keep asking the difficult questions on behalf of people, no matter where they live.”
The NRHA stands with greatest respect and affection for Helen, her family, her team, and the greater Indi community. We hope for her recovery and wellbeing and above all ask that their privacy be respected at this terribly distressing time.
The Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) said in a post on Facebook that news of the attack was “shocking and deeply saddening”.
“Federal Member for Indi, nurse, midwife and academic, Dr Haines has been a strong supporter of CATSINaM’s advocacy over recent years, demonstrating commitment, compassion and integrity for the broader Australian population, but especially her local community. Helen’s tireless efforts have been invaluable to enabling midwives to practise independently, a fundamental aspect underpinning the implementation of community-led Birthing on Country models of care nationally. We extend our thoughts and prayers to Helen, her family and her community during this incredibly difficult time.”
Writing on LinkedIn, Lyn Morgain stressed the need for a systematic approach to tackling violence:
“A reminder, that violence against women, is political violence. Deployed systematically to maintain patriarchal power, economically and socially. That’s terrorism.
We should not be surprised then that women (and Trans and non binary people) are experiencing the hard edge of this so-called rise in temperature.
This escalation of violence occurs as more women and others claim power, demonstrate leadership and demand a world free of tyranny and discrimination.
Of course Helen is one of the best of us. That’s kind of the point.
I regret to say these are not ‘peacetime’ conditions. With women parliamentarians calling it the most dangerous role they have ever had. And the last ten years bringing significant rises in violence against women and children.
We are a community struggling against a significant escalation of violence and conflict.
To address this effectively we need to be careful to correctly name the nature of the struggle and redouble our efforts to address the underlying issues of equity, opportunity and commitment to public entitlement.
The escalation is meaningful and alarming and we do need to recognise its place in the broader social and economic context. Within which gender based violence is ubiquitous. Avoiding exceptionalism as the crisis default, when the broad picture is plain.
Violence against women leaders is no different in its effect and intent than violence in the home.
I do hope all our counter terror efforts include women’s, human rights and LGBTIQ organisations and GBV experts.These are not a separate problems.”
Joint Statement from elected Members of Indi
Members of Parliament and Mayors stand united in condemnation of the violent attack upon our Federal Member for Indi, Dr. Helen Haines, in Wangaratta yesterday. Our thoughts are with Helen, her family, her staff, and all those affected by this deeply distressing incident.
We are each affected.
Personal threats, all forms of intimidation, and acts of violence have absolutely no place in our democracy or in our communities.
Helen represents the best of public service. Her commitment to integrity, her respectful engagement in debate, and her sense of democracy and peace are the example we should aspire to.
We should challenge our elected representatives; we should question their decisions; we should demand better of them. But there is a line. That line is crossed the moment we decide that disagreement gives us permission to abandon our humanity. We are better than this. And we must demand better.
We will not allow intimidation to silence public voices. Decency still outweighs division, and our communities reject hatred, violence, and fear. We will not allow violence to discourage participation in civic life. And we will not allow the values of democracy to be diminished by those who seek to undermine them.
Today, we stand with Helen. Tomorrow, we continue the work of building communities where differences are debated with respect, where people feel safe to serve, and where hope is stronger than fear.
We are better than this. We know we are. And together, we must demand better, expect better, and be better.
Sincerely and respectfully,
Tim McCurdy MP, Member for Ovens Valley
Bill Tilley MP, Member for Benambra
Cindy McLeish MP, Member for Eildon
Annabelle Cleeland MP, Member for Euroa
Mayor Nicholas, Alpine Shire Council
Mayor Hearn, Benalla Rural City Council
Mayor Price, Indigo Shire Council
Mayor Rabie, Mansfield Shire Council
Mayor Gallagher, Murrindindi Shire Council
Mayor Jeffery, Strathbogie Shire Council
Mayor Tolsher, Towong Shire Council
Mayor Grant, Rural City of Wangaratta
Mayor Gobel, Wodonga Council
See Croakey’s archive of articles on violence
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