Helen Haines lost both legs after alleged attack, but ‘her heart and mind are in good shape’, says husband | Helene Haines

Independent MP Helen Haines has lost both legs but remains in a stable condition, two days after an alleged targeted attack near her election office in Victoria’s north-east.

Haines, the federal MP for Indi, was in a critical but stable condition after being hit by a car in Wangaratta on Monday afternoon. Surgeons were trying to save his right leg on Tuesday, but both legs had to be amputated due to the severity of his injuries.

Her husband Phil Haines provided an update on his wife’s condition at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital on Wednesday afternoon.

Calm and clear, he said his wife had survived a “horrible incident” and had a long road to recovery.

“The good news in all of this is that Helen is alive and she is stable,” he said.

“That’s the most important thing to our family. And I think when we think and talk and think about Helen, the two most important parts of Helen to us as a family are her heart and her mind.

“Her heart is huge. She is a very compassionate, caring and loving person. She is incredibly supportive of everything around her: her family, her community, everyone she meets. And her mind. She has the sharpest intellect.”

Phil Haines described his wife, 65, as a fighter. The couple have been married for almost 40 years and have three children and two grandchildren. He became emotional for a moment at the end of his statement, reflecting on his wife’s strength.

“She is a determined person who will do her best with our support and love to get well, and that is what we hope,” he said.

“We are grateful at this point that his heart and mind are in good shape.”

Haines has asked for donations to Save the Children as his wife recovers. A special appeal was launched by the association.

Police say Monday’s attack was targeted and have charged Brendan Nugent with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and the Commonwealth offense of causing harm to a Commonwealth public officer.

Nugent faced the Wangaratta Magistrates Court earlier on Wednesday.

Phil Haines was accompanied by the Governor General, Sam Mostyn. Mostyn said she relayed news of the incident to King Charles and praised Helen Haines’ work as a local representative, including her commitment to improving the standards of public discourse in Australia.

“This violent attack on a much-loved and respected member of our Federal Parliament must be a moment for us to pause and choose to be better,” she said.

“We must hope that this beautiful heart, this beautiful spirit, will be strengthened every day by our support and our commitment to be more like Helen as part of this great democracy.”

Anthony Albanese and politicians in Federal Parliament have expressed shock and anger at the alleged attack on Haines.

The incident sparked calls for security changes from politicians, with security services including the Australian Federal Police and Asio briefing MPs on the current situation on Wednesday.

Speaking at a vigil in Wodonga on Wednesday evening, Cathy McGowan, who held Indi’s seat before Haines, paid tribute to her friend.

“There is another level of grief, different and deeper than actual violence, grief, shame and suffering,” she said.

“This is about Helen in her role as an elected representative. In attacking her, we have the intuition that this is an attack on our political system, on our democracy, and in particular on all the supporters who did the democratic work to get Helen elected.”

McGowan called for the upcoming Victorian state election campaign to be run in a positive and constructive manner. Voters will go to the polls next month.

The community could not let violence win, McGowan implored.

“That we ensure that the legacy of this attack on Helen is a stronger, more vibrant, more effective democracy, and that on a personal level, all candidates, and especially women, know that they can run for office and be safe. »