Arabic version: إضاءة شموع في أنحاء البلاد دعماً لهيلين هاينز المصابة بجروح بالغة

According to ABC News, Australians have been lighting candles for independent MP Helen Haines, four days after she was struck by a car outside her electorate office in Victoria’s north-east. The social-media movement asked people to light a candle at 8pm AEDT as a gesture of community peace and solidarity.

Hundreds of floral tributes have been placed outside Ms Haines’s Wangaratta office. The Rural City of Wangaratta said, “At times like these, what unites us matters far more than what divides us.” The Wangaratta Beacon, a former water tower repurposed for art installations, was illuminated in amber for the vigil.

Senator Fatima Payman shared a photograph of a candle on Facebook and said it had been a tough week. She described Ms Haines as a colleague and friend, and said the week had also highlighted the good in people, including the barber who went to Ms Haines’s aid and her husband’s compassionate response. Ms Payman said she was lighting a candle for Ms Haines, her family and staff, and for kinder politics.

The Alfred hospital confirmed on Friday afternoon that Ms Haines, 65, remained in a critical condition. Her husband, Phil, said earlier this week that both of her legs had been amputated because of her injuries. Ms Haines has represented the regional electorate of Indi since 2019.

Her office said staff hoped to reopen the Murphy Street office next Thursday, while thanking people in Indi, across Australia and internationally for messages of support. Police allege the crash was a deliberate attack by 43-year-old Tarrawingee man Brendan Nugent. He appeared in Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court and was transferred to Melbourne in custody before a hearing in February. Victoria’s police chief said a reported rift between Mr Nugent and his family was one line of inquiry.