By Alasdair Pal
SYDNEY, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Australian lawmaker Helen Haines was in a critical condition on Monday after being deliberately struck by a car outside her office, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying a terrorism taskforce would be investigating an arrested suspect.
Albanese told a news conference it was too early to determine the motive for the attack but later pointed to the changing face of social media having raised the temperature around politics in a country where such violence
is extremely rare.
Victoria Police said a 43-year-old man had been arrested after the attack on independent member of parliament Haines in Wangaratta, around three hours' drive northeast of Melbourne.
Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason told a press conference that Haines was struck by a white Toyota Land Cruiser as it drove along Murphy Street, where Haines' office is. The driver was detained by bystanders who saw the incident, he said.
Mason said a knife was found inside the vehicle.
Haines, 65, was airlifted to hospital where she is in a critical condition, police and Albanese said.
OPPOSITION CONDEMNS 'SHOCKING DAY' FOR NATION
When asked by public broadcaster ABC whether the increased anger around politics had led to worries about attacks on politicians, the prime minister pointed to the anonymity of online content.
"The concern, if you look at anyone's social media feeds and look at the comments, people will say things that they would never say face to face. But the temperature has undoubtedly been increased. Not just here in Australia, of course. We've seen incidents internationally as well," he said.
"Here in Australia, it is a good thing that politicians are able to go about their community and engage with people. I don't want to see a political system in which you can't have conversations with people at the supermarket, in the street, at street meetings, public forums. That's an important part of our democracy."
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor described it as a "shocking day" for Australia.
"Our nation cannot become a place where violent attacks are normalised," he said.
NO THREAT TO PUBLIC
Victoria Police's Mason told a press conference there was no further threat to the public and that they were treating it as an isolated incident.
While the Australian police gave no details of any specific social media links or threats in this case, politicians worldwide are facing a surge in violence, threats and harassment, according to a survey published in February by the global Inter-Parliamentary Union.
The IPU, which groups 183 national parliaments, said 71% of all respondents reported experiencing violence from the public, particularly online.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told the news conference with Albanese that incidents of threatening or harassing behaviour towards lawmakers in Australia had risen to 1,067 in the past year, against 951 previously.
In Britain, two serving members of parliament have been killed since 2016. This month the British interior minister announced an urgent review of the security arrangements for high-profile public figures in the wake of the killing of an ex-minister in July which prosecutors allege was ideologically motivated.
The US has also seen assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, including a shot that hit his ear during his 2024 campaign for reelection.
'PRAYING FOR HER FULL RECOVERY'
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.
"All of our thoughts are with Helen, her family, her friends, her team, and her community at this extremely difficult time. We are praying for her full recovery," Albanese told the press conference.
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."
(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney and Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Writing by Alison Williams; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Saad Sayeed, Aidan Lewis)
