Helen Haines: Heartbroken husband hails wife’s spirit as she losses second leg from attack

Helen Haines has lost both her legs as a result of Monday’s horrific car ramming incident, her husband has revealed.

Speaking at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital where the independent Indi MP remains in a critical but stable condition, Phil Haines said specialists had hoped to save Dr Haines’ right leg, but were left with no choice but to amputate given the devastating scale of her injuries.

Dr Haines’ left leg was removed on Monday, hours after she was mowed down by a Toyota LandCruiser allegedly driven by 43-year-old Brendan Nugent in what police say was a deliberate act of violence.

“What took place on Monday was an horrendous incident. And it’s . . . caused Helen significant injuries,” Mr Haines said.

“And as of this afternoon, or this morning, the surgeons had to also remove her right leg. But the good news in all this is Helen is alive and she’s stable . . . that is the most important thing for our family.”

Her “heart and her mind” remained in good shape, Mr Haines said, giving him hope for the future.

“Helen’s road to recovery will be long and difficult, but we know she is a fighter,” he said.

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

Mr Haines’ voice wavered only momentarily during his seven-minute address to media, as he gave thanks for the outpouring of love and well-wishes from Australians for his wife and family.

“One thing I’ve learned in the last two days, reinforced by many people, is to take things day by day,” he said.

“You know, it’s a cliché. It’s a cliché for very good reasons.

“So I thank you all for being here, I thank you for listening, and please keep sending Helen your love.”

The Haines will celebrate their 40th anniversary next month.

“Her heart is huge. She is a very compassionate, caring, loving person, incredibly supportive of all around her — her family, her community, anybody she comes across ,” Mr Haines said.

He asked those who wanted to show their support for Dr Haines to do so by donating to charity Save the Children.

“She is a passionate supporter of them, so we ask people if they would like to support Helen to perhaps think about making a donation through that organisation,” Mr Haines said.

He was joined at the hospital by Governor-General Sam Mostyn, who said the events of this week should be a moment of reflection.

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

“Remind ourselves, as Helen says all the time, that Australians have good hearts, great hearts, and checking each of ourselves to ensure that we are, in fact, disagreeing well, not fighting with one another, not descending into violence and chaos and division.

“We need to offer everyone comfort to get through this, to celebrate our strong and stable system of government and parliaments and democracy, and be proud of that.”

Ms Mostyn said she was keeping King Charles updated as to Dr Haines’ condition.

National security agencies have held closed room talks with Federal parliamentarians over security concerns in the aftermath of the alleged deliberate attack on Dr Helen Haines.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett issued a warning to politicians that the “current criminal threat environment is febrile” and said there was a growing volume of abuse being directed at elected officials online.

“The National Security Investigations teams are charging almost one individual every week for targeting Commonwealth, Parliamentarians, or high officeholders,” she said.

“I hope that this terrible event that will forever change the life of the member for Indi and her family gives our country time to pause and reflect on the growing threats and unlawful behaviour against those who hold a Commonwealth Office in Australia.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was also out urging politicians to tone down their rhetoric and help take the heat out of political debate, while facing questions over his own office’s past conduct towards Dr Haines.

“My side, every side, is included. We all have to recognise politics has gotten more aggressive,” Mr Albanese said.

In September, the Prime Minister’s office briefed select media outlets on federal funding Dr Haines had applied for under a community grants program.

The move came after Dr Haines accused the Federal Government of “pork-barrelling” when the vast majority of grants from a $560 million pool were awarded to Labor electorates, criticism that Labor sources at the time labelled hypocritical.

In the days since Monday’s alleged attack, Mr Albanese has repeatedly described Dr Haines as a “thoroughly decent person”.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has claimed he had no knowledge of the September briefing document, but Mr Albanese did not deny its existence.

“Helen Haines is a strong advocate for her community, and she advocates for funding,” Mr Albanese said.

Independent senator David Pocock has used his first National Press Club address in Canberra to pay tribute to Dr Haines as one of “the best” people in Parliament.

“I know I speak for so many people when I say that we are sending you love and hoping your recovery is as quick and thorough as possible,” Mr Pocock said.

“We must meet this attack on you by doubling down on the values you represent, that you champion so hard in our parliament every day: democracy, transparency, accountability, care, and kindness.”

He warned that the attack would “change” the way politicians could interact with their constituents and blamed social media for threats against elected officials which had “escalated at an alarming rate”.

“We do need to acknowledge that much of the anger, the division, the at times incredibly hateful comments that have festered in this age of anonymous social media accounts has spilled over into the real world,” he said.

“We need to call out the ways this has been fed, encouraged, and used for political advantage.

“Politics should be a contest of ideas, not who can whip up the most hate or spread the most misinformation.”

At the same time as Mr Pocock’s address, AFP Assistant Commissioner Sandra Booth fronted a government inquiry to detail the threat of artificial intelligence in accelerating online radicalisation of Australians.

“AFP is deeply concerned that AI is accelerating and lowering the skills required to actively manipulate and radicalise victims online, and then cause serious harm,” she said.

“The current scale and pace of radicalisation and manipulation did not exist at the time of other significant terrorism and radicalisation threats, such as the rise of Islamic State in the mid-2010s.”

Assistant Commissioner Booth said the AFP had seen dozens of cases of young children becoming caught up in violence, with a joint counter-terrorism team launching an investigation into children as young as 13 for online radicalisation.

ASIO deputy director general Claire McGuinness also addressed the inquiry about the “probable” national threat level.

“As a result, acts of political violence are becoming more likely,” she said.

“We can not simply respond to threats after they happen; we must anticipate them.”

Since Monday’s attack there has been a tidal wave of politicians coming forward to speak out about the dangerous political climate, including Dr Haines’ fellow Victorian independent MP Monique Ryan.

“Just in the last 24 hours, my office has had at least two individuals who we’ve had to talk to the police about,” she said.

Dr Ryan lamented the possibility of surrounding MPs with more security, but said the idea needed to be looked at.

“It would detract from politicians’ enjoyment of their job, but it would also detract from their ability to do their job,” she said.

“I don’t think that just upping the ante on police and security is going to fix the problem or stop horrible things from happening again.

“Having said that, it is important that we do what we can to keep public figures safe.”