Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've discussed this with the Leader of the Opposition, and I'm sure the member for Griffith would agree. I wish us all to take a moment to remember Hannah Clarke and her three children, Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey. Tomorrow marks one year since that vile and terrible crime—that terribly violent, unspeakable and unthinkable crime—was committed against them. In response to that crime last year, I said in this place that the words 'family' and 'violence' just jar. Those words should never be together, but sadly they so often are. Those words have nothing to do with each other, because our families should be the safest place in all of the world. But for so many, including in this place, that has not been the case, and that is a profound sadness. Sadly, this was absolutely not the case for Hannah and her children, and for so many others. All we can do is extend our love to Hannah's family and seek to reach out to them. I extend to them, through the member for Griffith, the House's kindest regards and deepest affection, and commend Hannah again for how she led us all a year ago.

The most important thing we can do in this place is, of course, do everything we can. As the Leader of the Opposition and I know, these issues are above politics, thankfully. We must do all we can to prevent family violence and to support those suffering it, working together with the states and territories across this chamber on the next National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children and producing more support for women in particular and their children, who are most at risk of experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence. Hannah, Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey, we remember you. We will never forget.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join with the Prime Minister in commemorating the first anniversary of the tragic deaths of Hannah Clarke and her three lovely children, Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey. We still see their faces in photographs, and we see their joy. We see the love with which they all so happily embraced each other. We see in their eyes the sense of a future so bright and so eagerly anticipated—a future that was stolen from them. As our shock turned to sorrow, we came together to remind ourselves that we cannot resign ourselves to this. We in this House have a particular responsibility when it comes to issues of family law and taking action on domestic violence. We have an opportunity to make a difference. We cannot be bystanders—not now, not ever. Let us be guided every day by their memory and let them never fade.