Haines was flown by helicopter to the Alfred hospital in Melbourne. She's had emergency surgery for severe injuries to her lower body.
Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister, is calling it deliberate. Victoria Police say they're still working out if it was intentional. A joint counter-terrorism task force is now running the investigation. Nobody knows the motive yet.
That's everything we know.
Why this mattersSo why has counter-terrorism been called in within hours? Because this kind of attack almost never happens in Australia.
Anthony Albanese says quote "this wasn't an accident, there was a deliberate act". That's the Prime Minister, hours after it happened, saying someone meant to do this.
But the police haven't gone that far. Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason gave the statement at the scene, and he said police can't yet confirm it was intentional.
So there's a gap. The Prime Minister is calling it deliberate. The police are still checking.
A senior source has told ABC the driver is known to police and will get a mental health assessment. Police haven't confirmed that on the record. And they say it's not yet known if the driver and Haines even knew each other.
Two things are still open. Was this planned, or personal? And does the driver have a history that explains it?
Haines has held the seat of Indi since 2019. Before politics she was a nurse and a midwife. She's known for pushing stronger climate action and for backing a national anti-corruption watchdog.
Albanese also spoke about her as a person. He says quote "she is fiercely intelligent but, most importantly, she's just a thoroughly decent human being".
Her family says she was involved in an incident outside her office and is getting medical care. They thanked bystanders, paramedics and police, and asked to be left alone.
And here's the bigger picture. Albanese says the temperature has risen in political life recently, and pointed to social media. Australia's Federal Police has tracked a steady rise in threats against politicians for years now, and built a dedicated team to handle it.
Victoria Police say they're treating this as isolated. No sign of any wider threat to the public.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and Victoria's Premier, Ben Carroll, have both condemned the attack. Albanese briefed them both directly.
So here's what's still unanswered. Why this happened. Whether the driver and Haines had any connection. And what Haines's condition is, beyond critical.
That's exactly why the counter-terrorism task force is now running this.
