Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:49amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:49am
Monique Ryan says she’s been threatened twice since Haines attack
Independent MP Monique Ryan says her office has had to go to the police over threats made to her in the days since the attack on Helen Haines.
“It’s a tragedy to say this, but what happened with Helen this week has brought out people,” she said.
“Just in the last 24 hours my office has had at least two individuals we’ve had to talk to the police about”.
Speaking to the ABC’s AM program, Ryan said security for MP’s was important, isn’t always feasible.
“If Helen had had a guard on the door of her office, that wouldn’t have prevented what happened to her this week,” she said.
“I don’t think that just upping the ante on police or security is going to fix the problem or stop horrible things from happening again”.
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:44amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:44am
Marles says engaging with constituents is ‘getting tougher’
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says he thinks engaging directly with constituents is without doubt “getting tougher”.
Helen Haines remains in a critical condition at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne after she was attacked outside her electorate office in Wangaratta.
The Indi MP has lost one leg following the attack, and doctors are working to save her second leg.
Brendan Nugent, 43, has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and the federal offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Marles says Australia needs to heed the prime minister’s warnings to turn the temperature down.
“In our history, if you take a step back, politics has been conducted in Australia in a way which I think is underpinned by a sense of respect and grace where we can acknowledge people’s differences, prosecute a debate robustly, but at the same time acknowledge that those with a different political opinions come to this with the same sincerity as ourselves,” Marles says.
“It’s really important that we, we continue to think about that, keep that foremost in our mind.”
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:37amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:37am
Red Cross providing support in Wangaratta
The Australian Red Cross will be providing psychological first aid and support in Wangaratta today.
Trained volunteers will be at the Ovens Riverside Square between 9am and 12pm. They will also be visiting local businesses to ensure staff are supported.
Senior State Manager Fyowna Norton told ABC Radio Goulburn Murray it’s important that people seek help.
“People will respond in really different ways and will need very different levels of support,” Norton said.
“Support will always be available, but I think the key is that folks reach out when they feel they need to and talk to one another and stay connected.”
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:30amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:30am
Deputy PM defends Albanese after reports of ‘dirt file’ on Helen Haines
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has defended the PM’s engagement in public discourse when asked about a “dirt file” circulated weeks ago about Helen Haines.
The Daily Mail reported the Prime Minister’s Office circulated a document to selected journalists weeks ago about Haines, after she criticised a $6 million grant allocated to a golf club in Anthony Albanese’s electorate.
Asked on Channel Nine how he responded to those reports, Marles sidestepped the questions and said it was not about pointing fingers.
“I think what it is about is all of us taking responsibility for the way in which we engage in public discourse,” he says.
“I actually think the prime minister is a person who, in terms of how he engages in discourse, in terms of the public debate, does so with grace. It’s one of the things I admire about Anthony Albanese.”
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:29amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:29am
Shadow defence minister says security advice isn’t always ‘practical’
Today parliamentarians will receive a briefing from the Home Affairs Department, Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation about how to step up their personal safety.
Although such security briefings occur regularly, the matter has taken on greater urgency after the attack on Helen Haines.
Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson told ABC Radio National that while such briefings could be useful, the advice wasn’t always practical.
“They can be helpful, but sometimes the advice provided is actually very difficult to implement while still doing our jobs as members of parliament,” he said.
“For example … we’re advised to never pre-advertise our attendance at a function or a place where people gather.
“That’s just not practical for most members of parliament because they need to be able to tell their constituents where they are so they can be accessible to their constituents.”
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
He said there was a difficult balance to strike between being accesible to the public and personal safety.
He said he didn’t have any criticism about the frequency of the briefings, which are often after a new parliament or MPs are elected.
“But we will have to look at whether we step up the investment in the physical infrastructure to protect our staff and the community,” he said.
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:22amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:22am
Marles says media, public has a role to play in respectful debate
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says it has to be possible to engage in robust political debate respectfully.
Speaking to Channel Nine, Marles says he’s shocked by what happened to Indi MP Helen Haines on Monday afternoon.
The deputy prime minister says he backs calls from the prime minister to bring the political temperature down.
“I think Helen Haines is the embodiment of that, quite literally, and that’s really what we have all got to try and do,” Marles says.
“I think the media has a role to play here, but the whole community does, and that’s really what we need to try and think about doing as we move forward here.”
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:15amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:15am
Housing minister says she’s changed the way she interacts with the public
Housing Minister Clare O’Neil says she has altered the way she interacts with the public amid a rise in violent threats towards parliamentarians.
The Australian Federal Police says reports of threatening behaviour against parliamentarians increased from 951 in 2024-25 to 1,067 in 2025-26.
The housing minister has told a Channel Seven political panel the attack on Indi MP Helen Haines was “unprecedented, vicious, brutal and violent”.
She says the online environment has changed and it’s filtering through to the interactions she has with everyday people.
“I mean literally like now I will talk to people who are pulling crazy conspiracy theories about me offline and then raising them with me in public as fact. So that’s the thing that I think we’ve all got to watch. This is not just about politicians,” O’Neil says.
Joining O’Neil on the panel is Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, who says Australia needs a democracy in which citizens can engage with the MPs.
“That’s one of the really special and beautiful things about the Australian democracy is that our MPs are out in communities,” she says.
“Clare and I punch on on policy grounds every single Wednesday morning, arguing about housing, about taxes, about issues in the Middle East. [We have] very different views. But we play the ball and not the woman in this case, and that is what we need to keep our eye on.”
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:11amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:11am
Electorate offices ‘very exposed’, shadow defence minister says
Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson says it is “prudent” to have a review of safety measures for Australian parliamentarians in the aftermath of the attack on Helen Haines.
The Liberal senator told ABC Radio National that full-time security for every member of parliament was not practical, but more should be done to protect electorate offices.
“Our electorate offices are the places where we’re most identifiable and where Helen was when this attack occurred,” Paterson said.
“They are not well protected in my view. They are very exposed, and that’s not just a risk to us, that’s a risk to our staff, to our family members, and to our constituents who are visiting.”
He said people often approached their local MP when they were in distress and needing help, for example with family court matters or a visa concern.
“We shouldn’t want to put protective layers and bubbles between politicians and the public,” he said.
“But we also can’t have a situation where shocking attacks like this take place because that will fundamentally change our democracy forever.”
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:02amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 7:02am
Spender says Australia can’t police itself out violent threats, discussion
Independent MP Allegra Spender says she doesn’t think an increase in security will necessarily make parliamentarians safer.
There has been renewed discussion about security protections for parliamentarians following the attack on Indi MP Helen Haines.
Speaking to Channel Nine, Spender says Australia can’t “police our way out of this” and social media plays a big role in the political climate.
The Wentworth MP says politicians need to do better and Australians also need to reflect on comments they make online.
“This doesn’t just affect politicians, this does affect our nurses, our teachers, the people who work in our supermarkets, the sort of aggression that is now accepted is different and is unacceptable,” Spender says.
Nationals leader Matt Canavan, who has appeared on panel with Spender, disagrees and says no one individual is responsible for the nature of debate.
“We can’t shy away from the job. We have a serious job we have to do, which does require us at times to engage in robust debate,” Canavan says.
“That’s one of the things that must be protected, while ensuring that the rhetoric online, the commentary does not lapse into inciting violence.”
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 6:42amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 6:42am
Respect Victoria concerned about alleged attack
A Victorian agency dedicated to preventing violence against women says it is “deeply concerned” about the alleged attack on MP Helen Haines.
The agency said its thoughts were with Haines and her family.
It also highlighted a recent report from Women for Election reveals that female elected representatives and candidates are facing growing levels of online abuse and intimidation.
“We are thinking of Dr Haines, her family, her staff and the Wangaratta community today. Violence is never acceptable, and no one should face it for serving their community,” Respect Victoria CEO Helen Bolton said.
“Women in public life have the right to do their jobs safely, and when they are harmed, it harms all of us and our democracy.”
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 6:29amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 6:29am
📷 Flowers build outside Helen Haines’s Wangaratta office
(ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
(ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
(ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 5:56amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 5:56am
Sister of murdered UK MP Jo Cox urges Australia to act
The sister of murdered UK MP Jo Cox has called on Australia to see the attack that left Independent MP Helen Haines in a critical condition as a turning point.
Cox was murdered in 2016 by a far-right extremist.
UK MP Ann Widdecombe was also killed this year and sitting UK MP Sir David Amess was killed in 2021.
Kim Leadbeater, who is now the MP of the constituency formerly held by her late sister, called on Australia to unite against these kind of attacks.
“Maybe for Australia, this is your moment to think about what your politics looks like and how we can bring people together [and] find common ground,” Ms Leadbeater told 7.30.
“That was something my sister was brilliant at and I would imagine it’s something Helen [Haines] is good at.”
She echoed calls from politicians including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a calmer discourse.
You can read more about her comments here:
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 5:37amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 5:37am
Counselling and support available for Wangaratta residents
Mental health support and more police officers have been rolled into Wangaratta in the wake of the attack on Helen Haines.
Members of Victoria Police’s Public Order Response Team have been deployed to the Victorian town to help maintain an enhanced presence, not because there’s any wider threat to the community.
The Rural City of Wangaratta will also hold a special council meeting at midday for the community to come together and “consider a formal response” to the incident that has shaken the Indi electorate.
If you live in the area and need support, there will be trained Red Cross volunteers available today to provide psychological first aid, practical help and information.
They’ll be at the Ovens Riverside Square, Wangaratta 9am – 12pm.
Wed 21 Oct 2026 at 5:08amWed 21 Oct 2026 at 5:08am
The Alfred to provide update on Haines’s condition
As far as we know, Helen Haines remains in a critical condition with lower body injuries at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne.
The ABC yesterday confirmed the independent MP had lost a leg and surgeons were fighting to save the other after she was hit by a vehicle on Monday.
In the early evening yesterday, the hospital said there had been no change to the 65-year-old’s condition and it would provide another update this morning.