Tracee Hutchison will not run in Victoria’s state election in November, despite winning almost a quarter of first preferences at the by-election in May, citing rising violence towards women.
Speaking to AAP, Hutchison shared her distress for Helen Haines and also recalled her personal experience of “a sustained, organised harassment and bullying campaign”.
The verbal harassment I experienced, and that the women my team did, was unlike anything I had anticipated.
Hutchison said she reported threats and feeling unsafe to the Victorian Electoral Commission every day during pre-polling.
There is no framework for the officers to do anything other than come out to the polling booth and tell everyone to behave. They then go back inside and people kick off again.
Helen Haines’ alleged attacker, Brendan Nugent, has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury and the commonwealth offence of causing harm to a commonwealth public official.
He was held overnight to appear at Wangaratta magistrates court this morning at 9.30am, Victoria police confirmed in a statement, adding that it would be alleged the attack was targeted.
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We’ll have all the developments as they happen.
Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the attack on Helen Haines.
A man will appear at Wangaratta court at 9.30am this morning charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury and the commonwealth offence of causing harm to a commonwealth public official.
Before that, Victoria’s police chief Mike Bush and AFP commissioner Krissy Barrett will give a press conference in Melbourne at 9am to give a briefing about the investigation.
We’ll have all the latest developments.
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