'Targeted' attack on much-loved MP leaves Australian town heartbroken
Australian MP Helen Haines was critically injured after being struck by a car in what police describe as a targeted attack in the town of Wangaratta. A local man has been charged in connection with the incident, which has left the community in shock.
Why it matters
The attack on a high-profile political figure raises concerns about the safety of public officials and the impact of violence on small communities.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Wangaratta locals have described their disbelief at the alleged attack on local MP Helen Haines
Wangaratta has been thrust into an unwelcome spotlight this week. Residents in this rural Victorian town are used to catering to tourists passing through on their way to regional wineries, or music lovers visiting its annual jazz and blues festival.
Instead, locals are fielding endless questions about their MP - and having to explain to strangers what it all means for the town's nearly 30,000 people.
They are clearly in shock about what police say was a targeted and deliberate attack on Helen Haines on Monday afternoon, when she was struck by a car just outside her office.
"People are simply dumbfounded and finding it very hard to fathom the scale of this tragedy," Australia's Governor-General Sam Mostyn, who represents King Charles, said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Headlinne story · 8 newsrooms
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