Helen Haines
Counted against the divisions held while they sat, not the whole parliament. Absence from a division is not abstention: pairing arrangements, leave and parliamentary duties are not distinguished in the official record. How these figures are computed.
Background
| Born | 21 Sep 1961, Colac, Victoria |
|---|---|
| Entered parliament | 18 May 2019 |
| Parliaments | 46th, 47th, 48th |
| Qualification | Institution |
|---|---|
| Bachelor of Nursing | Deakin University |
| Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (Medical Science - Reproductive Health), Uppsala Universitet | Sweden |
| Master of Public Health | University of New South Wales |
| Graduate Member | Australian Institute of Company Directors |
Occupations before parliament
| Role | Organisation | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Director for Education and Research | Northeast Health, Wangaratta | 2018 – 2019 |
| Company director | Indigo Power | 2018 – 2019 |
| Board member | St Catherine's, Wangaratta | 2016 – 2019 |
| Adjunct Visiting Research Fellow | Uppsala Universitet, Sweden | 2014 – 2019 |
| Postdoctoral fellow | Karolinska Institutet, Sweden | 2014 |
| Company director | Hume Medicare Local | 2012 – 2015 |
| Board member | Wangaratta Unlimited Economic Advisory Board | 2010 – 2016 |
| Director | Rural Academic Health Network | 2007 – 2019 |
| Senior Research Fellow | Department of Rural Health, University of Melbourne | 2007 – 2019 |
| Chairperson | Ovens and King Community Health Board | 2000 – 2010 |
Positions held
| Role | Ministry | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member of the Speaker's Panel | current |
Committee service
| Committee | Role | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appropriations and Administration House of Representatives Standing | Member | 1 Aug 2022 | current |
| Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport House of Representatives Standing | Member | 1 Aug 2022 | current |
| Environment and Energy House of Representatives Standing | Supplementary member | 15 Mar 2021 | 17 Feb 2022 |
| National Broadband Network Joint Standing | Member | 18 Sep 2019 | 11 Apr 2022 |
| Regional Australia House of Representatives Select | Member | 29 Jul 2019 | 15 Mar 2022 |
| Employment, Education and Training House of Representatives Standing | Member | 24 Jul 2019 | 29 Jul 2019 |
Memberships as the Parliamentary Handbook records them; current means no end date is recorded.
Election history
| Election | Electorate | Party | First pref % | Swing | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 federal election | Indi | Independent | 42.29 | +1.61 | Elected |
| 2022 federal election | Indi | Independent | 40.68 | +8.33 | Elected |
| 2019 federal election | Indi | Independent | 32.35 | -1.06 | Elected |
First-preference share of the formal vote at each event, matched by name within the member's state.
Parliamentary expenses
| Category | Apr-Jun 2026 | Jan-Mar 2026 | Oct-Dec 2025 | Jul-Sep 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office Administration | $84,953 | $54,108 | $99,432 | $59,918 |
| Office Facilities | $50,417 | $61,998 | $57,882 | $49,981 |
| Employee Travel | $22,200 | $24,103 | $26,182 | $24,058 |
| Other Car Costs | $7,548 | $6,080 | $7,009 | $6,036 |
| Travel Allowance | $9,457 | $966 | $7,390 | $4,990 |
| Telecommunications | $681 | $1,236 | $1,022 | $1,022 |
| Scheduled Commercial Transport | $2,566 | $666 | $0 | $648 |
| Total | $177,823 | $149,157 | $198,918 | $146,653 |
Expenditure as the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority publishes it each quarter, in its own categories, rounded to the dollar. Travel distances, office locations and roles differ, so totals do not compare between members. IPEA's reports and notes.
Funding disclosures
| Election | Electorate | Donations | Donors | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 federal election | Indi | $629,318 | 1,006 | $686,468 |
| 2022 federal election | Indi | $366,236 | 1,469 | $341,870 |
| 2019 federal election | Indi | $423,631 | 1,002 | $321,114 |
| Financial year | Donations | Donors |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | $58,318 | 176 |
| 2022-23 | $3,379 | 17 |
| 2021-22 | $241 | 8 |
| 2020-21 | $70,066 | 282 |
Returns as lodged with the AEC: a candidate's return covers the gifts received and electoral expenditure for that election, a member's annual return the gifts received in the financial year. AEC Transparency Register.
Bills raised
| Bill | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Strengthening Communications in Natural Disasters) Bill 2026 | Sponsor | Before Reps |
Sponsor marks the member's own bill; Introduced marks bills they moved, typically as the responsible minister.
Voting record 192 divisions
Photo: Alison Newman (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Wikidata, Parliamentary Handbook, AEC (CC BY 4.0), IPEA (CC BY 3.0 AU), AEC disclosures (CC BY 4.0), They Vote For You (ODbL). Errors? Request a correction.