Albanese Says Counterterrorism Unit Activated After Haines Attack

Conceptual illustration of an unmarked regional office and police barrier tape at dawn

Updated: 20 October 2026, 6:18 a.m. AEDT

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the joint counterterrorism unit has been activated after independent MP Helen Haines was struck by a vehicle outside her Wangaratta electorate office on Monday, 19 October. Speaking to the ABC’s 7.30 that evening, he described the incident as deliberate but said it was too early to establish the motive.

The ABC’s report of its interview with Albanese confirms his account of the investigation. The Guardian separately reported that Victoria Police, the Australian Federal Police, ASIO and counterterrorism investigators were involved.

The unit’s involvement does not establish a terrorist motive. Albanese said investigators were not yet in a position to explain what was behind the alleged attack.

Haines, the 65-year-old federal member for Indi, remained in a critical condition in a Melbourne hospital on Tuesday morning, the ABC’s morning update reported. She was flown to The Alfred after being struck near her office on Monday afternoon.

A 43-year-old man from Tarrawingee was arrested at the scene and spent the night in custody. The ABC said police had not yet provided a further interview update that morning.

Haines’s family has thanked bystanders, emergency workers and police, and asked for privacy. The investigation continues, with the motive still unknown.

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