
Helen Haines in stable condition, weeks after alleged Wangaratta attack
Independent MP Helen Haines, who lost both legs after an alleged car attack in Wangaratta, has been upgraded to a stable condition in hospital.
The independent MP, who lost both of her legs due to injuries suffered in last month's alleged attack, had previously been "serious but stable".
Helen Haines has been upgraded from serious but stable to stable at Melbourne's Alfred Hospital, more than two weeks after the alleged attack.
Brendan Nugent, 43, has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.
Nugent is due back in court in February, while the incident has sparked a national conversation about abuse directed at politicians in their electorates.
Federal MP Helen Haines is in a stable condition in hospital, more than two weeks after she was critically injured when she was struck by a car outside her electorate office in Victoria's north-east.
Ms Haines was flown to hospital in Melbourne after the alleged attack in Wangaratta on October 19.
The 65-year-old was unloading the boot of her car after attending an event in Mansfield when she was struck and pinned between two vehicles.
As a result of the independent MP's injuries, both of her legs were amputated in hospital.
The Alfred Hospital said in a statement this afternoon that Ms Haines's condition was now "stable".
She had been in a "serious but stable" condition since October 23, when she was downgraded by her medical team from a critical condition.
The hospital said Ms Haines' family would not be making any statements to the media.
Brendan Nugent, 43, has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and the federal offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official over the incident.
He made a brief appearance in court in the days after the alleged attack and was remanded in custody.
The court heard he had some mental health concerns, and suffered from a rare neurological condition.
Mr Nugent is due to appear again in court in February.
Tributes poured in for the MP in the days after the alleged attack, with both locals and her colleagues in Canberra speaking of her kindness and passion for rural communities.
A sea of flowers were left outside the electoral office in Wangaratta, and hundreds of thousands of dollars were donated to charity Save the Children at the request of her family.
Ms Haines's husband Phil said his partner of 40 years was a fighter, with a "huge heart" and sharp intellect.
The incident sparked national debate about the direction of political discourse in Australia and the abuse directed at politicians.
A number of MPs have since detailed the toll of abuse they have experienced in their electorates, including ahead of the Victorian state election on November 28.
Speaking alongside Ms Haines's husband Phil in the days after the incident, Governor-General Sam Mostyn urged Australians to "disagree well", and that society needed to exercise their muscle of decency.
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