Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the incident and called it an attack. "All of our thoughts are with Helen, her family, her friends, her team, and her community at this extremely difficult time," he said. "We are praying for her full recovery." He also described Haines as "incredibly hardworking" and "fiercely intelligent."

Haines was flown to hospital. Her family posted a statement on her Facebook page thanking the bystanders, health workers and police who helped her.

The car was a Toyota, and some reports describe it as a Land Cruiser SUV. Accounts of how the driver was caught differ. One report says civilians held the driver until police made the arrest. Another says a passerby carried out the arrest at the scene, and others say only that police arrested the driver. Police will interview the driver.

Two reports say police found a knife inside the vehicle and seized it. Other reports do not mention a knife. According to one report, Albanese said the counter-terrorism squad had been activated. A separate report says a terrorism taskforce is investigating the suspect. The remaining coverage does not mention a terrorism unit. Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason of Victoria Police has also commented on the case.

Reports also disagree on the ages of the two people involved. Haines is described as 43 in some accounts and 65 in others, and the driver's age is likewise reported as either 43 or 65. They also place Wangaratta differently. One describes it as about three hours' drive northeast of Melbourne, and another as just over 200 kilometres northwest of the city.

Authorities have raised concern about growing danger to public figures. According to one report, they have recorded more than 1,000 threats of violence against public figures in the past year.