Australian independent MP Helen Haines is critically ill in a Melbourne hospital after being hit by a car outside her constituency office in Victoria. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the incident may have been a deliberate attack. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.

The 65-year-old MP was struck outside her office in Wangaratta on Monday afternoon. A 43-year-old man from the nearby town of Tarrawingee was detained at the scene by a passerby and handed to police. Police said a knife was found in the car.

Police are investigating whether it was an "intentional act" but say they do not believe there is an "ongoing threat to the community". In a statement, Victoria Police said: "At this stage, police are investigating as to whether this was an intentional act. It is not known yet if the parties are known to each other... The investigation remains ongoing."

Haines was hit by a white Toyota Landcruiser at 15:35 local time (04:35 GMT) outside her office on Murphy Street in Wangaratta. The town, which has a population of around 30,000, is a few hours north-east of Melbourne.

A witness told Australian broadcaster ABC they had heard a bang and seen a woman pinned between two cars. Haines was initially taken to a hospital in Wangaratta but later moved to Melbourne by helicopter.

After being subdued and detained by passersby, the suspect was arrested by police. Announcing that counter-terror police were involved in the investigation, the prime minister said: "This wasn't an accident. There was a deliberate act, it would appear."

Political leaders have expressed shock and dismay. Albanese said "there is no place for violence in a democracy". While he said it was too early to understand the motive, he did say the political temperature had been rising in Australia.

His Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke backed up that statement with figures showing that reports of threatening or harassing behaviour towards politicians had risen from 951 to 1,067 in the past year.

Haines has only been a federal parliamentarian for a relatively short time, having been elected in 2019. However, in that time she has become an influential advocate for integrity in politics. She proposed legislation for a national anti-corruption watchdog in 2021 and has been credited for driving the creation of the National Anti-Corruption Commission under Labor in the previous parliamentary term. She currently sits on the parliamentary committee responsible for its oversight.

Haines has often banded together with other key independents on issues that include climate action and gender equality. Allegra Spender, another independent MP who has collaborated with Haines, called her "the best of us".

An Australian parliamentary report warned last year that threats and physical attacks had increased "significantly over the past decade". A threat assessment by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) — the country's equivalent of MI5 in the UK — warned last year that the risk of politically motivated violence was "already flashing red".

Albanese became emotional as he talked about Haines in a live television interview on ABC's 730.