The parents and grandparents of murdered Brisbane woman, Hannah Clarke and her three children have been named as Queensland’s Australians of the Year, following their ongoing advocacy for victims of family and domestic violence.
Sue and Lloyd Clarke were honoured at a ceremony in Brisbane last night ahead of the national Australia Day awards in January.
Hannah Clarke and her three children died in February last year when Clarke’s estranged husband and the children’s father, Rowan Baxter hijacked the family car before dousing his family in petrol and setting them alight in Brisbane’s Camp Hill.
The tragedy heightened Australia’s debate around the need for critical domestic violence reform, particularly when it came to light that Hannah Clarke had sought police protection on numerous occasions.
Before being stood down from the investigation over victim blaming comments that Rowan Baxter may have been “driven too far”, police detective inspector Mark Thompson said domestic violence orders had been granted against Baxter and there had been “a number of engagements of police” between the couple.
“I can confirm Queensland police have engaged with both Hannah and her estranged husband in relation to domestic violence issues,” he said. “When it comes to Hannah, we have dealt with her on a number of occasions and worked with the Brisbane Domestic Violence Centre in supporting Hannah throughout her family issues. And we’ve also referred Rowan Baxter to support services as well.”
Hannah Clarke and her children, Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4, and son Trey, 3 were all victims of a deeply flawed system.
It was this recognition that gave Sue and Lloyd Clarke the strength to fight tooth and nail for victims of violence like their daughter and grandchildren to be granted better support, setting up the anti-domestic violence charity Small Steps 4 Hannah.
Describing the tragedy as a line-in-the-sand moment, Sue and Lloyd said that their family’s murder spurred the Australian community to say: “where domestic and family violence is concerned, enough is enough”.
The Queensland award judges said the couple’s work had “empowered victims to speak up, guide family members to be aware of those who may be in an unsafe environment, and create safe environments for those who need them most”.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk thanked the pair for creating a “movement for change”.
“For Hannah’s parents, Sue and Lloyd, it was a devastating, life-changing event and the start of a movement for change,” she said.
“Their important work … has led to the Clarkes being honoured with the 2022 Queensland Australian of the Year award.”