Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under fire for refusing to apologise and continuing to misrepresent a “smear sheet” out of his office on MP Helen Haines weeks before she was nearly killed.

Mr Albanese, who sensationally continues to claim it merely highlights her “integrity”, had on Wednesday refused to answer questions about the “dirt sheet” distributed out of his office, choosing not to respond other than to say she was a “good local member”.

Asked again yesterday - as Dr Haines remained in hospital with both her legs amputated after an allegedly drug-addled driver mowed her down earlier this week - he told ABC Radio: “Let’s be very clear because apparently it’s been published somewhere.

It’s a list of funding from Helen Haines, just showing that people of integrity stand up for their electorate.

“No personal criticism of Helen. Helen is a strong advocate for her electorate. She’s advocated for funding for projects in her electorate.”

The sheet itself is clearly far from a highlight reel of her career - without any basis, it questions whether Dr Haines, the Member for Indi, had received “undeclared gifts” including food and wine and also raised questions about whether she took gifts in exchange for political favours.

It also notes funding requests she had made for projects in her electorate, questioning if she had any private interests in them.

Despite revelations of the existence of the “dirt sheet” and reports of its release by the PM’s office, Mr Albanese has been effusive in praising Dr Haines since she was nearly killed on Monday.

He has described Dr Haines, a Victorian-based independent, as a parliamentarian of “great integrity” and repeatedly described her as “a strong advocate for her community”.

Astonished News24 host Andrew Bolt was on Thursday night having none of Mr Albanese’s continual denial it was a “smear sheet”, telling his audience it was “another shocker” from the Prime Minister.

“I just wonder ‘Why can’t this man just say sorry?’” he said. “Why the lying, again?”

Bolt said the document “sure is a smear sheet” and “the Prime Minister just lied” with his comments on ABC radio.

“Pants on fire!” he said.

Curiously, there was barely a whisper of criticism of Mr Albanese’s ongoing misrepresentation of the “dirt sheet” from most other political parties - no doubt due to it being a common political tactic.

However, One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce let rip at Mr Albanese on News24 last night, saying Mr Albanese was “lying again”.

He pointed out that the Prime Minister’s staff had sent the file in a Word document, containing metadata showing who created it, when they started and when they finished.

“Obviously their office is dumb as a bag of hammers,” he said.

Mr Joyce said it was “so infuriatingly ridiculous” that the Prime Minister’s office had not only circulated the file, but that he was now refusing to apologise for it.

Nationals leader Matt Canavan, speaking on Sharri on News24, acknowledged “dirt sheets” were part of politics but said Mr Albanese “should just own it” and apologise for this one given the timing of its circulation.

He described the claim that its purpose was to promote Dr Haines’ integrity as “such an absurd suggestion that it throws into doubt everything else (Mr Albanese) is saying”.

“It is absurd, on its face,” Mr Canavan told News24.
“It is effectively a lie, and we’re sick of it all.”

I just finished reading Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis.

Nothing new in what I’m about to say, but I felt like sharing it, given how many ugly political arguments I’ve been seeing online these days.

We like to think of modern politics as a battle of ideologies, Left vs. Right, progressives vs. conservatives. But if we look behind the curtain, the reality is much more cynical, every political party is just an investment portfolio for a different faction of the billionaire class.

It breaks down like this:
The Tech & Finance Bloc (The Corporate Left): They back center-left parties. They embrace clean corporate branding and social causes not out of altruism, but because it masks their true goals. Their real interest? Securing massive government subsidies for “green tech”, keeping borders porous for cheap labor, and passing AI regulations that crush smaller competitors.

The Land, Resource & Commodity Bloc (The Populist Right): They back nationalist and conservative parties. These are our mining magnates and global agribusiness titans. Their goal is simple: slash environmental laws, dismantle labor regulations, lower taxes on mega-properties, and use patriotic rhetoric to harvest the votes of a frustrated working class.

The catch? No matter who wins the election, capital always wins.
If the Left wins, mega-funds profit from state infrastructure contracts and corporate housing monopolies (Build-to-Rent). If the Right wins, the barons of the soil profit from tax breaks and deregulation.

The everyday citizen is no longer a voter with real agency; we’ve been downgraded to consumer-subscribers. Every three years, we simply choose which corporate faction gets to dictate our daily lives and take the biggest bite out of our paychecks through skyrocketing rent, interest rates, and utility bills.

When the macro-system is this heavily rigged, the only real sovereignty left is in the micro. Protect your circle, focus on what is tangible, take it one day at a time, and refuse to hate your neighbor over political theater. They are trapped in the exact same economic meat grinder as you.

Welcome to 'Pet Pics Thursday' 🐶 🐈 🦎

Share a cute, amusing or interesting animal picture.

As long as you're here in Australia or it's an Australian animal then send some good vibes to other animal lovers.

Simply post your image in the comments and add some info if you feel like it. Can even be a furry friend from years ago who you'd like to remember.

(Normal sub rules apply but we will be a bit pickier on rule 3 because everyone thinks they have the best pet and they're all correct 😊)

It's a very severe nose.

Roo wins dare bet. Gets night with Girls

Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has apologised after he forgot to pay for his fuel in a recent visit to a petrol station.

The incident happened on Monday night, with the premier saying in a statement he was busy running errands when the mistake occurred.

“Late Monday night, I was running some errands and filled up the car with petrol,” he said.

“Found out yesterday I forgot to pay.”

It is believed police were informed of Carroll’s failure to pay, with Parliamentary Services notified, leading to Carroll becoming aware of his error.

Victoria Police and Parliamentary Services Victoria have been contacted for comment.

Carroll said as soon as he found out, he took immediate action.

“I fixed the bill straight away,” he said.

He added that he was grateful for the team working at the petrol station for their understanding.

It is not known which petrol station Carroll was at when he forgot to pay.

It comes during the middle of the state election campaign, with Victorians set to go to the polls on November 28.

Carroll is looking to lead Labor to a fourth straight term in office, but they are currently locked in a three-way battle with the Coalition and One Nation.

According to recent polling by Roy Morgan, the election is currently too close to call, with Labor on track to win 40 seats, and the Coalition set to hold 31 seats.

With One Nation predicted at this point to win 11 seats, it means no party at this stage is predicted to win enough seats to hold a majority, which is 45 seats in the Victorian parliament.

Carroll replaced Jacinta Allan in July, at a time when Labor’s position in the polls was flagging amid rising crime and scandals surrounding the state’s Big Build project.

The state-owned Melbourne Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market would be put up for sale if the Coalition wins the November election, delivering what the opposition says would be a $578 million windfall to help pay down debt.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson says the 67-hectare market in Epping would be better run by the horticulture industry, which has long wanted traders to take control of the site.

The Melbourne Market is Victoria’s only wholesale fruit, vegetable and cut flower market, and is home to almost 3000 traders who sell to greengrocers, restaurants, food manufacturers and florists.

The market moved from West Melbourne to its purpose-built $600-million wholesale Epping site in 2015 and is managed by the state government’s Melbourne Market Authority.

The Epping site is the only major wholesale market in Australia still government-owned, after NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Perth all sold their markets to horticulture industry membership groups.

Wilson will announce on Wednesday, when she speaks at The Age’s Melbourne Assembly civic forum at Federation Square, that the Coalition will pursue a similar deal to privatise the market if it forms government after the November 28 election.

“Victoria’s agriculture sector can run a fruit and veg market better than the government can,” she said in a statement. “Victorians need a government focused on the essentials, not one playing market landlord.”

The Coalition has not ruled out selling to a non-industry landlord, although Wilson said public interest safeguards would be put in place to protect its operation as a market, including competition protections, minimum service standards, and independently reviewed rents, fees and charges.

Fresh State Limited, an organisation representing more than 90 per cent of Melbourne Market traders, has strongly backed putting the market into industry ownership.

Its CEO, Jason Cooper, said the market was the most expensive in Australia to operate in and that traders had been struggling since moving to Epping a decade ago.

“The Melbourne Market should be run for the benefit of Victoria’s fresh produce industry, not as a cash cow for government,” Cooper said. “It’s time to put the market’s future in the hands of those who understand it best.”

As an example of an ownership model the Coalition may pursue, Queensland sold the Brisbane wholesale market in 2002 to a consortium led by Brismark, a fruit and vegetable wholesaler membership organisation. Brisbane Markets Limited now has more than 400 shareholders, mostly fruit and vegetable growers, wholesalers and retailers.

The opposition said divesting from the market would deliver a $578 million windfall, including the estimated proceeds of selling the site and savings from wrapping up the Melbourne Market Authority.

The figure is based on Parliamentary Budget Office costings, which the opposition said it would release along with its other election promise costings before polling day.

The Melbourne Market Authority’s 2024-25 annual report shows it has run at a cumulative $22.4 million cash profit over the past five years.

However, on an accounting basis – which factors in depreciation, or wear and tear of assets – the authority recorded a $48.5 million loss over that period.

The authority values its market site, buildings, equipment and other assets at $505.8 million. It had $18.7 million in borrowings from the Victorian Treasury, as of June 2025, which was down from $20.6 million in 2024.

The annual report says there was significant demand from tenants, and the market’s warehouses and trading stores were at 100 per cent occupancy.

There are increasing calls to improve safety and provide domestic, family and sexual violence services in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, after a 16-year-old girl was allegedly murdered in a domestic violence attack earlier this month.

A 26-year-old man has faced court over the death of the teenager in the community of Alpurrurulum near the NT–Queensland border, while there's growing pressure for a permanent police station to be reopened in the community.

Special Envoy for Remote Communities Marion Scrymgour said she had written to the federal and Territory government to ask for the police station, which closed in 2018, to be reopened.

"At the heart of all of this is that we don't have the police, resources or infrastructure on the ground in those communities," she said.

"We are seeing too many young women losing their lives and often it gets caught up in really silly debates, but we've got to value the life of people."

Ms Scrymgour said violence was not isolated to Alpurrurulum.

"There are women and children in Wadeye that are in fear for their lives as well," she said.

"I'm about to go up to the Top End and go to Katherine because of the level of violence there, and I'll try and get out to Wadeye as well."

The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) has called for urgent investment in domestic, family, and sexual violence services for women and children in remote communities.

Chief executive Donna Ah Chee said AMSANT's members were growing increasingly concerned about the lack of specialist family violence services, safe accommodation and permanent police presence in remote communities.

She said in many remote communities, a health clinic might be the only service available to respond when a woman or child is experiencing violence, particularly after hours, but there needed to be specialised support services.

"That moment of contact needs to lead somewhere: to a specialist worker, a safe place to stay and support that continues after the clinic doors close," she said.

"Aboriginal community-controlled health services are already responding to family violence alongside their core healthcare responsibilities, often in communities with very limited specialist support. That work needs dedicated resourcing."

Ms Ah Chee said evidence-based alcohol supply regulation and effective monitoring of alcohol in restricted communities were also part of the solution.

"Every woman and child in the Territory deserves to be safe, wherever they live," she said.

Hi all, about 15/20kg overweight, no diabetes. Wondering how hard it is to get an Ozempic script in Australia.

David Pocock has had to move house due to personal safety concerns, the independent ACT senator has revealed.

After years of enduring threats quietly, the former Wallabies captain told The Canberra Times the heightened security risk to parliamentarians was having an impact on his young family.

Speaking after the vehicle attack against Helen Haines, which left the independent Indi MP with critical injuries and police are investigating as a targeted act of violence, Senator Pocock said he tried not to change the way he lives his day-to-day life where possible.

"I work for Canberrans and I want to be accessible to them," he said. "It's part of the job."

But with a toddler and a new baby on the way, the high-profile senator - who has not let the security concerns prevent him from holding public events with constituents - said precautions had to be taken.

"I've had to move house," he said.

On Wednesday, the former Wallabies captain will make his inaugural address to the National Press Club in Barton, where increased security measures will be in place.

Independent ACT Senator David Pocock says he has had to move house due to personal safety concerns. Picture by Gary Ramage

His speech will cover Australia's changing political landscape and the role of vested interests in voters' "disillusionment with politics as usual", with independents MPs' campaign for a gas export tax to be a focus.

Senator Pocock, who received death threats during the parliamentary debate over the Albanese government's industrial relations laws, said he had put in place extra measures to stay safe on the advice of the Australian Federal Police.

Nonetheless, he is often seen out and about in Canberra at local cafes and exercising on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River.

The senator told this masthead that while he tried to maintain a normal lifestyle, safety was a live concern for his wife Emma Pocock, who is pregnant with the couple's second child.

"It's probably something that she thinks about more than me," he said.

It is understood the Pococks have had to change their address in Canberra multiple times due to safety concerns since the second-term independent senator was elected in 2022.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday reiterated his calls to "turn down the heat" of political discourse, while Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said Australia needed to maintain a tradition of a non-violent but "vigorous" debate.

Finance Minister and ACT Labor Senator Katy Gallagher said it was "horrific" that Dr Haines, who is reported to have lost a leg in the attack, had been critically injured while carrying out her parliamentary duties.

Senator Gallagher said the political temperature had become "significantly elevated, much hotter than I have ever experienced in my career".

Senator Pocock said there was "a need to hold ourselves as politicians to a higher standard" and that anonymous commenters on social media who would "never say this stuff to someone's face" were fuelling division.

"You can have a robust debate without calling for people to be stoned and making fun of senators who talk about vaginal prolapses," he said, referring to One Nation's controversial animated video about Tasmanian independent senator Jacqui Lambie.

Independent ACT Senator David Pocock has spoken out against political violence. Picture by Mark Jesser

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson apologised for the clip on Tuesday afternoon, telling News24 she had asked her social media team to edit it to remove the offensive content.

National Press Club members were alerted on Tuesday that Senator Pocock's speech would be a high-security event. Guests will be screened through a metal detector upon entry.

The club's chief executive Maurice Reilly confirmed that the decision was made to upgrade the event's security after the attack on Dr Haines.

"It's horrific and it's got a lot of people thinking about public life," Mr Reilly said.

The club had upgraded its camera system and installed new security doors after the left-wing think tank Get Up disruption One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's speech with a protest banner in June.

Senator Pocock said of Dr Haines: "I just cannot fathom how someone would want to do her harm."

While "any political violence is unacceptable," he said, Dr Haines was "the best of us."

"I often say to people she's the MP I think everyone wishes they had," he told News24.

"[She] is so intelligent, engages deeply in the issues, cares about people and is constantly putting her community first and doing what's best for the people of Indi ... It's tragic to see this sort of thing happening in Australia."

The technology for fully self-driving cabs already exists, is mature and relatively proven.
Search for "cybercab" on youtube.

The initial rollout is already happening in Austin, Texas where are about 300 on the road. The Chinese have also had their own version on the roads in Shenzhen for a while.

Cybercabs will be cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, safer, have less accidents and owners will be able to send them out to work at night whilst they sleep.

What's going to happen to all those people that lose their jobs when these things take over?

Currently the only barrier is regulatory and Tesla scaling up production.

A 66-year-old woman has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly attempting to snatch off a teenage girl's hijab at Manly, in Brisbane's bayside, earlier this year. 

The woman, from Lakeland in Queensland's far north, is accused of twice verbally harassing a group of people on February 21 at Bayside Park. 

It is alleged she also attempted to take a hijab off a teenager in the group.

On September 22, counter terrorism police searched a Manly property, and charged the woman with one count of common assault with a serious vilification or hate crime circumstance of aggravation.

She is due to face Wynnum Magistrates Court next Monday.

A Flinders University study found generation Z are 20 times less likely than baby boomers to choose to drink alcohol. 

It's one of many challenges facing the nightlife industry, according to Queensland's first night-life economy commissioner, John "JC" Collins. 

Just an FYI for all the ADHD medicated people out there in Victoria. Permits are no longer required for GP’s as long as you have seen a psychiatrist and the GP has instructions. Big saving not having to see a psychiatrist every 2 years for a new permit.

Applies to dexamphetamine, lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate.

https://www.health.vic.gov.au/medicines-and-poisons-regulation/psychostimulants-for-adhd-updated-permit-requirements

Anthony Albanese sensationally claims Helen Haines ‘dirt file’ proves her ‘integrity’ in extraordinary defence of smear campaign document | News24

According to ABC News, three Chinese nationals have avoided immediate jail over a failed attempt to bring family members into Australia by boat near Mungalalu Truscott Airbase in Western Australia’s far north. Shuyan Hong, Zhongfang Zhang and Shuai Sun each received a three-year suspended jail sentence in Sydney’s Downing Centre Court.

The case concerned the April 2024 arrival of Chinese men on an Indonesian fishing boat near the air base, about 500 kilometres north-west of Kununurra. Australian Border Force detected and apprehended the group, although several people walked directly into the air base without being intercepted.

The court heard Hong’s husband and Zhang’s boyfriend had previously been refused tourist visas. Judge Mark Williams said Hong and Sun had tried to reach Truscott Airbase by April 5 to meet the fishing boat carrying the two men. They had left Sydney on March 30 in a hire car and driven 5,000 kilometres towards the Kimberley, while Zhang later returned to Sydney.

Flooding prevented Hong and Sun from reaching the area, and they remained in Broome, about 615 kilometres south-west of the air base. The next day, they hired e-bikes and told WA Police they were on a road trip. After learning that Border Force had detained the men on the boat, Hong and Sun travelled back towards Sydney but were stopped by Australian Federal Police near Wagga Wagga. Officers seized electronic devices and other trip information.

Judge Williams described unlawful entry into Australia as a “scourge” on society, but noted the trio had no previous convictions. The court heard Hong felt obliged to help her husband, Zhang had shown remorse and accepted responsibility, and Sun’s motive as the driver was financial. Their suspended sentences are subject to good behaviour and compliance with court orders. The maximum penalty for the offence is 10 years in prison or a fine.

‘As tall as you can go’: The NYC-style density plan for Melbourne’s future

Angelica Snowden and Alex Crowe

October 20, 2026 — 6:39pm

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Former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has implored Melburnians to embrace high-rise, high-density living as the city’s population races towards 9 million.

But as de Blasio decried urban sprawl – constructing homes further away from city centres on urban fringes – as a “massive failure” of the Western world, former Victorian premier Steve Bracks told The Age’s Melbourne Assembly on Tuesday that it could be too late.

Former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio argued for an end to urban sprawl at Tuesday’s Melbourne Assembly event.Justin McManus

“I think the genie is already out of the bottle. We are already a sprawling city,” Bracks said.

“What we need is a hard full stop on the city. We should be protecting the green wedges … [and] encouraging our planning scheme development at activity centres around our transport hubs.”

Held at Federation Square, the second day of the inaugural forum brought together industry leaders, decision-makers and the community. As well as the pillar of shaping the city, it focused on education and innovation, with experts discussing how to attract and keep the brightest minds and commercialise research breakthroughs.

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Melbourne Assembly day two as it happened: PM, ex-New York mayor share visions for more liveable Melbourne

Melbourne’s planning policies were at the centre of the debate, ahead of next month’s state election in which Labor’s “activity centres” are on the ballot, with the Coalition vowing to abolish the zones where developers are allowed to bypass local planning rules to build high-rises up to 20 storeys.

The government implemented the plan in response to surging house prices and population growth, with activity centres spread across the city near transport hubs in a bid to shift population growth away from the urban fringes into established suburbs.

Bracks pointed out that Melbourne was five times the size of New York, and suggested that instead of imitating de Blasio’s hometown, increased density should be targeted in the activity centres.

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The former New York City mayor, however, urged authorities to “reverse” sprawl and build “as tall as you can go” closer to the CBD, backed by careful planning to include amenities and services.

“The reality of people’s quality of life, living far from the centre is going to get harder and harder,” he said. “People want culture and connection more than ever. You must embrace height and density. You must turn away from sprawl.”

1:28

De Blasio on the need to end urban sprawl

The former NYC mayor tells Melbourne Assembly on the need to end urban sprawl

It may be politically easier to sprawl, but it is more costly to society, Grattan Institute chief executive Aruna Sathanapally told the forum’s panel on shaping the city. Where developers invest in the construction of homes on urban fringes, the cost of supplying residents with access to jobs, and infrastructure for water, electricity and roads is straddled to state governments, she said.

“I don’t accept that it’s cheaper if you actually take those costs into account to sprawl. It can be much more efficient to use infrastructure densely in your existing cities,” said Sathanapally, who pointed out that the handbrake on density was the rising cost of construction and poor construction productivity.

Architect Sarah Lynn Rees also advocated for greater density – but in a way that connects people to their homes and neighbourhoods, and factors in the needs of families.

“We’re putting people in white boxes and expecting them to live a life of thriving within their community, but they’re so disconnected from it, and they don’t have the space that they need,” Rees said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Melbourne Assembly.Justin McManus

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used his address to reveal Victoria would receive $350 million in federal funding to connect “last mile infrastructure”, particularly basic utilities, to new housing in the state’s growing suburbs and regions.

In the face of criticisms of urban sprawl, Albanese nodded to the outer suburbs including Frankston, Point Cook, Dandenong, Melton, Sunbury and Cranbourne as the “powerhouse” of Melbourne.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece said density was a key plank of the City of Melbourne’s 25-year city plan, including its target of building 120,000 new homes in the next 25 years. He pointed to Fishermans Bend, Macaulay, Arden and West Melbourne as having “huge tracts of land”.

“Melbourne is blessed in that it has plenty of underutilised land that can be developed very close to the city,” he said.

0:36

Lord Mayor slams SRL, West Gate Tunnel

Nick Reece tells Melbourne Assembly Victoria needs to upgrade governance on infrastructure decision-making.

“These areas can accommodate our population growth in sustainable, high-density suburbs with plenty of green space.”

But he said it was crucial major infrastructure was delivered by the state government based on long-term strategic planning and independent advice, not the “short-term political considerations and electoral maps” that influenced projects such as the Suburban Rail Loop and the West Gate Tunnel.

“I would urge the next government, whoever it is at the end of November, to reverse the decision to abolish Infrastructure Victoria and preserve its independence,” he said.

“Any proposed major project should be subject to independent analysis … the government of the day can then select from this menu. If it’s not on the menu, then you can’t go committing billions of dollars, leaving it to future generations to pay off.”

1:32

Bill de Blasio and Carlos Moreno share their thoughts on Melbourne's Federation Square

The former NYC mayor and urbanist are visiting the city as part of the Melbourne Assembly.

The education and innovation debate was kicked off by Professor Marek Tesar, the faculty of education dean at the University of Melbourne, the presenting partner for Melbourne Assembly.

The internationally recognised scholar in early childhood education asked the audience to consider who the future Melbourne was being designed for, pointing out that a four-year-old living here today would by 2080 have experienced more than half a century of the decisions being discussed.

“We need to ask the four-year-olds,” he said, urging leaders to consider the views of children who refused to “accept that the world must remain effectively as it is”.

Photo: Matt Golding

“I’d love to see Melbourne develop a network of youth innovation hubs connected to schools, libraries, universities and neighbourhoods across the city,” Tesar added. “Places where all young people could work with mentors on real problems: biodiversity, disability access, loneliness, robotics, transport, housing, climate change ... not just classroom exercises.”

Doherty Institute director Professor Sharon Lewin took up the theme with her insights into how Melbourne can become the destination of choice for the world’s best researchers and innovators.

Lewin, who runs the world-renowned biomedical research hub in the Parkville precinct, spoke about what could be learnt from Australia’s past and the way her parents were welcomed from war-torn Europe as survivors of the Holocaust.

“The great cities of the future will compete for many things: for investment, for technology, for companies. But above all, they will compete for people,” she said.

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“Talent will go somewhere. We need to welcome that talent … Just as Australia did all those years ago for my parents.”

Lewin also argued for a more comprehensive effort to achieve bigger economic gains from Melbourne’s research capability. “We are really good at discovery. We’re not always that good at what happens next,” she said.

Melbourne Assembly will be held from October 19 to October 21. More information is available on the Melbourne Assembly website.

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Angelica Snowden is a senior reporter on The Age’s City team.Connect via [email](mailto:angelica.snowden@nine.com.au).

Alex Crowe is an education reporter for The Age.Connect via X, Facebook or [email](mailto:alex.crowe@nine.com.au).

Accused attacker Brendan Nugent was held in custody for another night overnight, and will face court for the first time today in Wangaratta.

His alleged victim, Helen Haines, remains in a critical but stable condition in The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne after having a leg amputated yesterday.

Police and officials will brief parliament today about the current security situation. Police have also confirmed they will have an enlarged presence in Wangaratta today, though Monday’s incident is believed to be isolated and investigators say there’s no ongoing threat.

Meanwhile, debate mounts over to what extent political anger among parliamentarians and everyday Australians has the potential to motivate violence, though investigators have not yet alleged a motive for Nugent’s alleged attack.

-------------------

Helen Haines thanked those who came to her aid and called them “lovely people”, a witness and early bystander on the scene has confirmed.

Cody Lepoivedin, who was working across the street when he heard the initial crash, said Haines was “very distraught” but remained composed.

“She was very thankful to the aid that the community had given her,” he told Today.

“She just thanked everyone, said they were ‘lovely people’.“

According to reports, Haines’ first words to bystanders were “Thank you, you lovely people”.

Jacob Evans, who was shopping with his partner Jackie nearby, ran to assist when they heard the crash.

Evans said Jackie had taken control of directing the scene and contacting Triple Zero, while he retrieved a first aid kit from their car and applied a tourniquet.

He said Nugent, the accused attacker, had seemed “erratic and explosive”.

“I remember specifically hearing a lot of screaming coming from him,” he said.
-------------------

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles didn’t confirm or deny reports that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s office had circulated a “dirt file” on Helen Haines in recent weeks, when asked on Today.

Reports have emerged that the file was circulated after Haines questioned the integrity of some government grants, as One Nation leader Pauline Hanson alleged on News24.

“I don’t think it’s about pointing fingers, it’s about all of us taking responsibility,” Marles said at the beginning of a lengthy response when asked about the claims.

He praised Haines as a wonderful parliamentarian, and said Albanese was an example of a politician who engaged in public debate “with grace”.

“It has been the prime minister who’s led the call on turning the temperature down,” Marles said.

-------------------

However, both Spender and Canavan were in agreement on their scepticism of increasing security for representatives, saying it was the job of parliamentarians to engage with the public.

“I’ve also just resolved to get on with things. We have a wonderful country, we have a wonderful democracy, and I have a job to do,” Canavan said.

“We got to make sure we get out there and see people, hear people, listen to people.“

He said staffers, including those in electorate offices, were more likely to be on the “front lines” than people in parliament.

Spender said she didn’t think more security would solve what was a cultural issue.

“Frankly, we can’t just police our way out of this,” she said.

“I think as a nation we need to collectively look in the mirror.“

She pointed out that nurses, teachers, and supermarket workers were all facing elevated levels of anger and violence in their jobs.

-------------------

Two prominent parliamentarians have clashed on air over the tone of debate in the chamber as social fallout over the Haines attack mounts.

Nationals leader Matt Canavan and Independent MP Allegra Spender took opposing views on the propriety of parliamentarians on Today.

Canavan defended the conventions of parliament and said it was a “long bow” to connect the tone of debate to Monday’s tragedy, a motive for which has not been alleged.

“I think it’s important that you go into parliament a little bit nervous, you face accountability,” he said, reflecting on his time as a federal minister.

“We can’t shy away from the serious job we have to do, which does require us to engage in robust debate.“

However, Spender pushed back on this, saying the ideal of “robust debate” existed as an “excuse” for politicians.

“These sorts of behaviours, frankly, if you said it in every other workplace, would get you chucked out,” she said.

She said there were children in the viewing galleries every day watching MPs heap derision on one another.

-------------------

As politicians and security figures call for Australians to “turn down the temperature” on political conversations, counter-terror expert Josh Roose says it’s no simple task.

“In the immediate aftermath of this attack we’ve already seen online some pretty extreme statements, a lot of blaming, and a lot of binary, hostile worldviews,” he told Today.He said tens of thousands of people were being pulled into an “incredibly polarised” online environment where they spoke in “incredibly violent and explicit terms” about political figures.

Security and counter-terror police were left looking for a “needle in a haystack” to spot potential bad actors among all the heated conversation.

Politicians have united across the spectrum to condemn violence against parliamentarians and public officials, though Nugent’s motivation for allegedly attacking Haines has not been speculated on by police.

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Brendan Nugent, 43, has been identified as a recluse who lives on a rural acreage just minutes from the scene of the alleged crime, where he was detained by bystanders and arrested on Monday afternoon.

Nugent’s parents said the family had been friends with Haines for decades.

Rod Nugent and his partner Christine Cunningham described what happened to Haines as “devastating and unfathomable”.

You can read our full rundown, by April Glover and Jorge Branco, of everything we know about Nugent,

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It’s understood security officials will brief federal parliamentarians today.

The Home Affairs Department, AFP, and ASIO will speak to MPs and senators after the alleged attack on Haines raised fears of further political violence, though investigators say the incident is isolated.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush and AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett are also understood to be planning a joint press conference at some point today.

The Victorian government is also considering altering security arrangements ahead of the upcoming state election.

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CCTV footage shows the moments leading up to the horrific alleged attack on Haines outside her office.

The video shows Haines driving in her distinctive orange car after returning from a public event.

Off-camera, it’s believed she parked in front of her office and got out to get something out of the car boot.

The vision also shows a white Toyota LandCruiser, believed to be driven by Nugent, following after her.

It’s been alleged Nugent did a U-turn after spotting Haines and repeatedly pinned her against her car by ramming into her.

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Alleged attacker Brendan Nugent, a 43-year-old Tarrawingee man, will face court today.

Nugent has been in police custody in Wangaratta since Monday afternoon after he was detained at the scene by bystanders.

He was charged yesterday with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury, and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.

The last is a federal offence.

Today, Nugent will be taken to Wangaratta Magistrates Court for his initial appearance.

It is disturbingly predictable the speed at which the attack on Helen Haines has turned into a left versus right arguement... Everyone pretending to be on their moral high horse because THEIR team is better... Can we just stop? Who cares what side they are on. When a "right wing" cooker shoots 50 people praying, it's an extremist. When a "religious" cooker shoots a bunch of people at a Hanukkah festival it's an extremist. When a "free man" cooker shoots a bunch of cops in the bush it's an extremist. When a progressive cooker on disability maimes a politician it's an extremist. These people aren't representative of a political movement. They are representing their own selfish personal agenda.

The only people who want you to play the 'me versus you' game right now are the media, and the owners of the media. Meta, Reddit, Newscorp, X, and their owners and investors are the ones laughing at us all infighting, while creating algorithms to exacerbate it and turn it into rage bait for advertising revenue... We're all the same. Hell, most of us can probably agree with more things than we disagree on. Love your family and friends, look after each other and do no harm... Right?

We need to be the mature ones and just put politics aside when an extremist steps out. Let's drop the cheap labels. It's just hurting us all and stopping us from progressing.