Barnaby Joyce, of One Nation, raised objections about a dossier reportedly compiled by Anthony Albanese's office during the period leading up to independent MP Helen Haines being struck by a vehicle near her electorate office in north-west Victoria.

As of Friday morning, Dr Haines was being treated at The Alfred hospital, where her condition was listed as stable, following an incident on Monday afternoon in which a four-wheel drive vehicle struck her on two separate occasions outside her electorate office in Wangaratta. Both of Dr Haines' legs had to be removed by the surgical team as a result of the attack.

Brendan Nugent, aged 43, is before the courts on three counts: dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, and a commonwealth charge of causing harm to a commonwealth public official — the latter relating to the incident involving Dr Haines. No bail application was lodged, and a committal hearing has been listed for 4 February 2027.

In the weeks leading up to the attack, the Prime Minister's office is reported to have distributed a document described as a "dirt file" that cast doubt on Dr Haines' integrity and her support for local projects, though no evidence of any wrongdoing was put forward. The communication followed Dr Haines raising objections to a $6 million funding allocation directed toward Marrickville Golf Club, a venue linked to Mr Albanese's local area.

In an interview with a television news outlet, Mr Albanese neither confirmed nor disputed the file's existence, describing Dr Haines as a diligent local representative who submitted grant applications in the same manner as other members of parliament. He described her as someone who consistently takes up the concerns of those she represents.

In a Thursday night television interview, Mr Joyce characterised Mr Albanese's reaction to the dirt file as an inadequate effort to undermine the reputation of a woman he described as thoroughly respectable. He contended that Mr Albanese's decision not to apologise over the dirt file was unreasonable, and that the Prime Minister's office appeared to hold a low regard for the public's intelligence — adding, in his own words, that the only people he considered to lack good judgement were those working within that office.

A fundraising drive held in tribute to Dr Haines has drawn contributions totalling upwards of $600,000 for Save The Children. By Friday morning, contributions from across Australia had reached $613,000, with Phil — Dr Haines' husband — having asked well-wishers to direct their support to Save the Children rather than send flowers, noting that large numbers of bouquets would be difficult to manage. The charity's chief executive, Mat Tinkler, acknowledged on Thursday that the family and Dr Haines' team were thinking of children in need during a difficult time, and said the funds gathered would go toward areas including maternal and child healthcare and early childhood education.

Five days before the attack on the independent MP near her electorate office, Dr Haines had submitted a formal request to Mr Albanese seeking mental health funding directed at rural communities. Dr Haines raised the $2.7 billion disparity in funding between metropolitan and regional areas directly with Mr Albanese at the crossbench meeting, according to media reports. According to those reports, a copy of the Forgotten Health Spend: A Report on the Expenditure Deficit in Rural Australia 2026 was passed from her to him during the exchange.

The Prime Minister's office indicated to a broadcast outlet that party members retain the freedom to put forward any concerns, and that those concerns receive follow-up attention.