A man accused of striking independent MP Helen Haines with his vehicle in an allegedly targeted life-threatening attack outside her electorate office is facing multiple charges.

Police late on Monday charged Tarrawingee man Brendan Nugent, 43, with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.

He will face Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

“Police will allege the incident was targeted,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

Dr Haines was hit by a Toyota LandCruiser outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, northern Victoria, on Monday afternoon.

She underwent emergency surgery at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne but one of her legs could not be saved.

The 65-year-old remains in a critical but stable condition.

A nearby highway patrol unit was on the scene within eight seconds of the call coming through, police said.

Officers searched a property on Great Alpine Road in Tarrawingee, near Wangaratta, on Tuesday.

“At this stage it appears this is an isolated incident, and there are currently no other known threats connected to this matter,” police said.

In a statement, his father Rod Nugent and Rod’s partner Christine Cunningham said Dr Haines had been their friend for more than 20 years.

“What happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable,” they said.

“We would like to sincerely thank members of the local community and police who came to Helen’s aid yesterday after the shocking and horrific crime. We will be assisting Victoria Police in any way we can.

“Helen Haines is a deeply respected, valued and much loved member of our local community.”

The 65-year-old was at the boot of her car when the four-wheel drive allegedly made a U-turn, hit her, reversed and hit her again, according to witness accounts relayed by government ministers.

Dr Haines’ husband Phil, daughter Georgia and sons Nick and Will were seen briefly emerging from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon, where they have been at her bedside.

Nugent had reportedly been apprehended behind the wheel of the LandCruiser by local barber Ricky Jefferies, who says the driver had a knife, before police arrived to detain him. 

Back in town, locals crowded a church for a vigil in support of Dr Haines.

In the neighbouring federal electorate of Nicholls, Nationals MP Sam Birrell said he had tried to stick to business as usual.

“I still went to the two country towns to speak to the grade 6’s at the primary school. I walked down the street to catch up with some businesses,” he told AAP.

“(I) was probably more aware of my surroundings, a little bit more than I had been.”

Counter-terrorism authorities are investigating the incident.

There was no recent evidence Nugent was on authorities’ radar before the alleged attack, Victoria Police Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason said on Tuesday.

It appeared to be a standalone incident with no enduring danger, AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said.

Federal and Victorian police have briefed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, along with Victorian Premier Ben Carroll.

The AFP is gearing up to deliver more security briefings to federal MPs after reporting a rise in threats against parliamentarians, high office-holders and electorate officers in recent years.

A task force to disrupt high-impact, politically motivated violence and similar potential crimes has already charged 41 people for threatening politicians and higher-ups since being established in October 2025, according to the agency.

The Australian share market has fallen, dragged down by the big banks and major miners amid a disappointing quarterly production update from BHP and major job cuts at NAB.

The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index clawed back some of its early losses in afternoon trading on Tuesday, finishing near the day’s highs.

It closed 28.8 points lower at 8816.9, a 0.33 per cent drop, after it had been down by as much as 98 points, or 1.1 per cent, in the first hour of trading.

The All Ordinaries dropped 31.5 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 8944.2.

Betashares investment strategist Hugh Lam said the ASX might be reflecting the caution seen across Asia, with South Korea and Japan’s markets also failing to participate in an overnight tech-led relief rally on Wall Street.

Losses for BHP were a 14.3 point drag on the ASX200 on Tuesday, accounting for almost half of its losses.

The Big Australian fell 1.6 per cent to $59.50 after disclosing its quarterly copper output had dropped 19 per cent to around 400,000 tonnes, well below analyst expectations.

“BHP has left itself very little margin for error on copper this year,” said Josh Gilbert, eToro’s lead APAC analyst. 

It would have to average 415,000 tonnes over each of the next three quarters just to reach the bottom end of its guidance for 2026/27, he said.

Elsewhere in the sector, Rio Tinto dropped 0.4 per cent to $154.84 and South32 lost 2.4 per cent to $4.440.

Goldminers were also under pressure as the yellow metal fell $10 to trade at $US4,149 an ounce, with Evolution retreating 1.4 per cent and Northern Star slipping 1.7 per cent.

In financials, NAB retreated 1.8 per cent to $39.20 after the big four bank announced it plans to lay off 2500 workers over 2026/27.

The business-focused bank said the job cuts would make it a stronger bank, but the fact that losses were more modest for the other big banks suggested traders were concerned about the strategy.

Westpac and ANZ both lost 0.8 per cent, to $35.13 and $38.98, respectively, while CBA edged 0.1 per cent higher at $155.60. 

Elsewhere in the sector, HUB24 gained 3.9 per cent to $67.08 after the investment management platform used by financial advisers to manage client portfolios reported $4 billion in net inflows in the first quarter.

In real estate, Ingenia Group climbed 9.7 per cent to $4.65 after the retirement community operator said it was granting a US private equity firm an extension to come to terms on its takeover offer.

Warburg Pincus has floated a tentative price of $5.25 per stapled security, and the two sides now have until Friday to sign a deal.

In health care, Cochlear rose 5.2 per cent to $139.40, while Starpharma slid by a third to a six-month low of 50 cents after taking majority ownership of a UK-based biotech, Petalion Therapeutics.

In currency, the Australian dollar was trading at 69.81 US cents, up from 69.73 US cents at 5pm on Monday.

ON THE ASX:

* The S&P/ASX200 dropped 28.8 points, or 0.33 per cent, to 8816.9

* The broader All Ordinaries fell 31.5 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 8944.2

One Australian dollar trades for:

* 69.81 US cents, from 69.73 US cents at 5pm on Monday

* 110.42 Japanese yen, from 110.25 Japanese yen

* 62.17 euro cents, from 62.12 euro cents

* 52.37 British pence, from 52.32 pence

* 122.96 NZ cents, from 123.24 NZ cents

One of Australia’s biggest banks is the latest to make sweeping job cuts, with 2500 roles on the chopping block, sparking backlash from unions and industry experts.

The National Australia Bank announced to the stock exchange on Tuesday 1500 jobs will be axed before the end of 2026.

The timing could not be worse for workers, who were already buckling under massive workloads and unrealistic targets, Finance Sector Union national assistant secretary Nicole McPherson told reporters.

“We have real fears about the financial security of workers at NAB and their wellbeing, given that these 1500 job losses are going to be right on the eve of Christmas,” she said. 

“The remaining 1000 workers will have to wait in limbo until sometime in the new year to see if they have any job at all.”

Most workers were told of the redundancies by email on Tuesday morning, the union said. 

“The lack of detail provided by NAB has only compounded worker anxiety, with no one knowing exactly which areas of the business are going to be targeted,” Ms McPherson said.

A total of 2500 staff – or about six per cent of the bank’s workforce – are set to go over the full financial year.

The move was designed to make the bank more efficient and would have no material impact on customer-facing positions, NAB chief executive Andrew Irvine said.

”These changes are expected to improve outcomes for customers by reducing duplication and speeding up decision-making,” he said in a statement to investors.

”We know this will be a difficult period for our colleagues impacted by these changes as well as the people around them.”

The bank will also reduce its use of consultants and external contractors.

Union officials met with NAB on Tuesday to question whether AI was behind the planned job cuts.

“They said they would need to come back to us,” Ms McPherson said.

The cuts were expected to result in restructuring costs of about $300 million in the 2027 financial year, NAB said.

In May, the bank reported a near-20 per cent fall in 2026 first-half statutory net profit, although its preferred metric of cash net profit – which excludes large items – was flat at $3.59 billion against the same period a year earlier.

NAB’s result was supported by strong growth of 5.4 per cent in its business and private banking arm and a higher net interest margin, which reflected its earnings on lending activity.

The job cuts raised broader questions about what was driving the restructure, Swinburne governance expert Helen Bird told AAP.

She said transparency was needed on whether AI would replace the job losses.

“Transparency is absolutely vital and you have to be really honest from the get-go, so there are no illusions about what’s happening here,” Ms Bird said.

“This is no doubt an early example of the large-scale employment cuts we will see in the coming years.”

Ms Bird said NAB needed to explain how cutting thousands of roles would deliver the efficiency.

The bank is the latest to announce sweeping job cuts, after rival ANZ drew widespread criticism for its “unhinged” decision to cut thousands of jobs.

ANZ announced in 2025 it would slash 3500 staff and 1000 contractors by September 2026 as part of a $560 million plan to simplify operations.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has also been preparing to axe 140 jobs across the company, according to the union.

A leading regional bank has dodged the embarrassment of a first strike on executive pay after lapses in its financial crime and risks systems that will cost it millions to fix.

The remuneration report for Bendigo and Adelaide Bank was passed by the annual general meeting on Tuesday with 84.8 per cent of shares in support and 15.2 per cent against, well clear of the 75 per cent supermajority it needed to pass.

Financial crime agency AUSTRAC in December launched an investigation into whether the bank complied with its obligations on money laundering regulations. 

The bank reported itself to regulators after a review by Deloitte found serious bank-wide shortcomings following suspicious activity at one branch that resulted in four arrests.

Banking regulator APRA also required the bank to hold an additional $50 million in operational risk capital, and the bank expects its rectification plan will cost it $70 million over three years.

Chief executive and managing director Richard Fennell told the meeting he was ultimately accountable for the bank’s deficiencies in managing non-financial risk and resolving them. 

“My number one priority is to fix these issues,” he said. 

“There is a great deal of work ahead of us.”

In response to the problems, the board cut the short-term bonuses for the bank’s core leadership team.

Mr Fennell lost $397,000 and four other executives lost between $258,000 and $321,000.

As a result, the chief executive made $1.75 million for 2025/26, down from $2.4 million the year before.

A number of additional awards are on hold for other key personnel while the bank conducts its own investigation, and none of the leadership received any raises in 2025/26, chairwoman Vicki Carter told the meeting.

Ms Carter said identification and management was fundamental to the bank’s business and its licence to operate and apologised for it not meeting expectations on the issue.

The lender reported on Monday that it made $112.7 million in cash earnings for the September quarter, up 18.5 per cent from its average earnings over the previous two quarters.

Australians are being hit with increasingly sophisticated, artificial intelligence-fuelled scams as the online watchdog warns against repeating past mistakes by failing to rein in the technology.

The rise of AI was presenting major risks in the finance sector, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s executive director of enforcement and compliance, Chris Savundra, said.

They included problems around advertising, complaint handling and credit scoring, as well as the cyber threats it posed to financial systems, he told a federal parliamentary inquiry into AI on Tuesday.

Notably, Mr Savundra said it was also putting consumers at a higher risk of being scammed.

“We do see … an increased use of AI, the use of big fakes, and more sophisticated ways in which scammers can take advantage of Australian consumers,” he said.

Mr Suvundra said another risk was that Australians – particularly younger people – were increasingly relying on AI for financial advice.

He called for the federal government’s new unfair trading practices scheme, which targets issues such as subscription traps, to be extended to the financial services sector.

The inquiry earlier heard from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who urged the government to avoid playing catch-up on the technology, as it had with past online developments.

“We’ve run this experiment before,” she said.

“For years, regulation could catch up with social media harms after the damage was visible in children’s mental health and election integrity and trust in our information ecosystem.

“AI is moving faster and its harms could be much more catastrophic.”

She noted that the regulator has already seen AI weaponised to create child sexual exploitation and abuse material, noting there was a 75 per cent increase in reports between 2024 and 2025, particularly in schools.

In response, the commission began working with the National Home Safety Education Council, a group of 27 departments and organisations, assisting in the rollout of a school-based reporting system.

Enforcement action against several so-called “nudify” services had resulted in eight of the most widely used programs withdrawing access from Australia or introducing age restrictions and stricter standards.

The commission had a 96 per cent success rate at getting image-based sexual abuse material taken down.

But that action was only possible if there was a sexual component to the material, a gap Ms Inman Grant acknowledged.

“We’re seeing image manipulation of teachers or principals doing and saying things they didn’t do, which can be harmful and defamatory and hurtful to their reputations,” the commissioner said.

“But without that sexualised component, we don’t have powers to be able to remove that content.”

Other content could only be removed if it met the high standard for adult cyber abuse, a power the commission had only been able to use successfully in six per cent of cases.

There was also a gap in regulation around the use of deepfakes in an election context, but Ms Inman Grant noted the issue fell outside the commission’s remit.

The commission also heard from the CSIRO, which acknowledged the issues associated with bringing AI computing capacity to Australia, including the need for resource-hungry data centres. 

But the national science agency said such access would greatly benefit a lot of its research.  

The commission will explore how it can extend existing standards to address issues surrounding AI chatbots under proposed digital duty of care laws.

The proposals, introduced to parliament on Thursday, will put the onus on platforms – rather than users – to ensure online environments are safe. 

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US President Donald Trump has used violent unrest in France as an argument ‌against Democrats in his battle to defend a Kansas Senate seat long held by Republicans but in danger of falling to his political opponents.

Trump’s rally on behalf of Republican incumbent Roger Marshall was his latest foray into conservative states where Republican ‌candidates are on defence due to voter frustrations over the Iran war and rising prices.

“I love you Kansas, but I’m here for a guy named Roger Marshall,” Trump said on Monday.

Trump pointed to widespread protests ‌in France as a scenario that could erupt in the United States unless Republicans win. He provided no evidence.

France has seen some of the worst unrest in years as huge protests over the cost of living and underfunded public services descended into riots and looting.

Trump who has struggled to make goods and services more affordable in the US turned to anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric, the type that he used to fuel his three presidential campaigns.

“We’re not going to let that happen to this country,” he said.

“When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember that is what the radical Dumocrats want to do to America.”

Trump has been mocking Democrats by calling them Dumocrats. 

Rights ‌advocates have repeatedly criticised ‌Trump for his rhetoric over the years ⁠in which he has targeted and mocked immigrants and ethnic minority groups.

Kansas, a conservative ​Midwestern state Trump won by 16 points in 2024, has not elected a Democrat to the US Senate in 94 years.

First-term Senator Marshall is in a close fight with Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton, pastor of a Methodist megachurch, who is running against Trump’s tariff agenda and what he calls the president’s “erratic leadership”.

“He wants you to repent for being born White,” Trump said of Hamilton.

Trump is deep into a 32-day campaign blitz, frequently going to friendly areas that he won handily in previous elections.

The latest Reuters-Ipsos poll, published on Monday, found that 31 per cent of Americans approve of Trump’s performance in office, a record low for the president.

Democrats need a net gain of four seats in both the US House of Representatives and US Senate to overturn Republicans’ ​narrow 218-214 ​and 53-47 majorities.

Paris police have issued an overnight curfew in two areas of the French capital, after a weekend marred by France’s worst rioting in years that targeted city halls, other public buildings and thousands of businesses across the country.

The order aims to protect “people and property from the violence and looting”, Paris police said in a statement on Monday.

The curfew prohibits anyone from entering or remaining on the Place de la République, where rioting took place on Saturday, and the shopping neighbourhood of Les Halles, which has been subject to looting.

The curfew will be in effect from 11pm on Monday until 6am on Tuesday. In addition, gatherings and demonstrations are banned from 8pm, the Paris police said.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had called for “very limited” and “localised” curfews.

In northern France, local authorities imposed a curfew for children and teenagers under 18 in several cities, including Lille, starting from Monday for two days from 8pm to 6am.

Nice, on the French Riviera, also imposed an overnight curfew for minors from 9pm.

Lecornu defended police handling of the unrest, saying that “despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, no one was killed, and that is a miracle”.

Mass protests in France are often tainted by violence on the fringes of otherwise peaceful marches, leading to clashes with police.

Saturday’s unrest recalled the riots that followed the fatal police shooting of a teenager in 2023, when authorities imposed local curfews, and violence during the yellow vest movement that began in 2018 over fuel prices.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation on Sunday but President Emmanuel Macron refused it “given the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context”, Macron’s office said in a statement.

He instructed Nuñez “to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence”.

Macron also asked for the introduction of “new policing tactics on the ground as quickly as possible” to put an end to the violence.

On Sunday evening, groups set fire to bins, bicycles and other objects and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities.

That followed the violence during nationwide protests on Saturday against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. At least 2,400 people were arrested across the country.

Authorities estimated at least 3,000 businesses were damaged or looted.

In Marseille any protest or other gatherings are banned from noon to 8pm.

Nuñez blamed the violence on “hordes of troublemakers and looters” and “far-left activists,” and said that police strategy needs to be adapted “in the face of extremely mobile groups”.

Authorities said that groups of hundreds of people sought confrontations with police and targeted public buildings, including city halls and other public offices.

“You can’t look shopkeepers in the eye when hundreds of businesses have been looted and say we haven’t lost control in some of these major cities,” Nuñez said.

Flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall in Limoges, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building.

Cleanup crews and firefighters cleared shattered glass and other debris from the streets of Paris on Monday.

Ouri Zagoury, owner of a video game shop near Paris’ Place de la République, said that he closed the store on Saturday afternoon, but then saw looters forcing their way in on surveillance cameras.

“There were so many people coming in and out. And even though I called the police, they said not to intervene, that they would come, but they never did, which is another problem,” Zagoury said.

Elon Musk has announced plans to give every child in the United States one share in his space company SpaceX in 2027, in a move that could be worth more than $US10 billion ($A14 billion).

The billionaire entrepreneur said on his social media platform X on Monday that the giveaway would be his first initiative of its kind “of many”, but provided no details on how the plan would be implemented.

According to the latest US census data, there are just over 70 million people under the age of 18 in the nation.

At SpaceX’s current share price, distributing one share to each child would cost more than $US10 billion.

Musk’s fortune is currently estimated at more than $US900 billion ($A1.3 trillion) by Forbes magazine, consisting largely of shares in SpaceX and electric carmaker Tesla, which he also heads.

His announcement may have been prompted by a move over the weekend by rival artificial intelligence company Anthropic, which said it would initially place 5 per cent of its shares into a fund intended to benefit the public.

In response, Musk wrote to Anthropic on X: “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public.”

SpaceX is the parent company of Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI.

SpaceX shares initially surged following the company’s stock market debut in June, but have since fallen well below their highs of more than $US200.

The stock is now trading below $US150 ($A215), while questions remain about the company’s valuation of around $US1.9 trillion.

SpaceX’s rocket business remains relatively small compared with its market valuation, which largely reflects investor expectations of future success in artificial intelligence promised by Musk.

However, SpaceX currently lags well behind AI leaders Anthropic and OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT.

Independent MP Helen Haines is fighting for her life after a “horrific” attack outside her electorate office, prompting an investigation by counter-terrorism authorities.

Dr Haines, 65, is in a critical condition after being hit by a vehicle while loading up her car on the main street of Wangaratta, in Victoria’s north, on Monday afternoon.

She is being airlifted to a hospital in Melbourne for further medical treatment.

The 43-year-old male driver, from the nearby town of Tarrawingee, is in custody after a bystander performed a citizen’s arrest.

A knife was seized from inside the suspect’s Toyota Landcruiser, police said.

Authorities are yet to determine the motive for the attack or establish whether the two parties are known to each other.

The national joint counter-terrorism team, including representatives from the Australian Federal Police and spy agency ASIO, had begun investigations alongside state authorities, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

There was “no place for political violence” in Australia, Mr Albanese said.

“This wasn’t an accident. There was a deliberate act, it would appear,” he told the ABC’s 7.30 program.

“We don’t know what the motivation is. So that is the work that’s being undertaken.”

The prime minister said he was not aware of any personal threats being made against Dr Haines.

“Helen Haines is incredibly hardworking. She is fiercely intelligent, but most importantly, she’s just a thoroughly decent human being, full of integrity, and respected right across the parliament,” Mr Albanese said.

Victoria Police Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason thanked members of the community who had stepped in to help.

“This would have been a tragic, horrific incident for people to witness,” Act Supt Mason said.

“But I just thank those that were nearby and those that were involved and assisted in detaining the male, and then also provided any assistance to the injured female.”

The attack has been condemned by MPs and senators from across the political spectrum.

It was a shocking day for the nation, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said.

“No one should be targeted in this way,” he said in a statement.

“Our nation cannot become a place where violent attacks are normalised.”

Zali Steggall, who sits next to Dr Haines in the House of Representatives, said she was shocked and devastated.

“I have worked with Helen since 2019 … she is a wonderful, caring, smart and wise friend and amazing representative for her community,” she said in a statement.

“I am thinking of Helen and her wonderful family.”

Threats and incidents against federal parliamentarians had increased year on year, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.

“The year before last, we had 951 reports of harassing and threatening behaviour against various high office holders,” Mr Burke told reporters in Sydney.

“The more recent financial year, that 951 has gone to 1067.”

Dr Haines represented the best of the nation, crossbench colleague and frequent collaborator David Pocock said.

“Helen represents so much of the values we share as Australians,” Senator Pocock said in a post to social media.

“At a moment like this we should turn to them more than ever and be sure to take care of one another.”

Greens leader David Shoebridge, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, Victorian Premier Ben Carroll and state Liberal counterpart Jess Wilson were among many others wishing Dr Haines a full recovery.

Dr Haines has represented the regional seat of Indi as an independent since 2019, coming to prominence on her platform of political transparency and integrity.

Her family thanked bystanders and emergency workers who had assisted “our beloved Helen”.

“Please keep Helen in your thoughts,” they said in a statement.

Dwindling aid is forcing the Asia-Pacific region’s youngest nation to maintain its unhealthy addiction to fossil fuels, an Australian clean energy summit has been told.

President Jose Ramos-Horta says East Timor’s electricity grid is almost exclusively powered by expensive diesel, and it’s hampering investment, but his country has no other choice.

“For the time being, and for many years to come, we need fossil fuel development to power the diversification of our economy into green energy and a green economy,” he told the Global Citizen Now conference in Perth on Monday.

“The cost of our energy in Timor-Leste is a killer of investors.”

President Horta said official development assistance, which could help East Timor transition its economy more quickly, has “almost ceased to exist”.

Some traditional Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) donor countries had shifted their aid to the war in Ukraine, he said.

“They shifted aid to shelter refugees, to support refugees, and the millions who flock to Europe,” he said.

“So (official development assistance) has never suffered so much.

“We need fossil fuels; we need to develop our oil, gas, offshore and onshore, to survive.”

The Nobel Prize winner said there had also been “draconian” cuts to humanitarian aid budgets, pointing to the World Food Programme and UNICEF.

“So this makes it even more difficult for any of us to quickly transition to cleaner energy,” he said.

“But we know that the only way to go for the survival of our humanity is if we still can stop it.”

It comes as the Green Climate Fund says it is accelerating access to finance in the Pacific region.

It announced a project with up to $1 billion in grants and investment funding for Pacific nations, which will be presented to its board for approval next week.

“It will cover 21 projects, and it will basically serve 3.7 million people, so it’s one out of four in the 14 Pacific Islands,” director of external relations Marie-Ange Saraka-Yao told AAP.

The fund will work with regional and local partners to help Pacific nations build renewable energy, water and climate-resilient infrastructure projects.

“It will pretty much change the environment there,” Ms Saraka-Yao said.