The advocacy of the parents of family violence victim Hannah Clarke has been praised after Queensland took a step closer to criminalising coercive control.
Sue and Lloyd Clarke lost their daughter and three young grandchildren after they were set alight by estranged father and husband Rowan Baxter in Brisbane in early 2020.
The pair co-founded the Small Steps 4 Hannah Foundation and have tirelessly advocated for laws to be strengthened in Queensland.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said they deserved credit for the historic legislation which was introduced to parliament on Wednesday.
“I think anyone who has met them has been touched by not only the tragedy that they have gone through but how they have now devoted their life to making a difference,” she told parliament.
Hannah’s parents have campaigned tirelessly for greater understanding of coercive control since the tragedy in February 2020 and were named Queenslanders of the Year in 2022.
Mr Clarke said he and his wife Sue were “proud” of their role in advocating for stand-alone coercive control laws in Queensland.
“We are grateful that the Government has heard our calls and responded. Now we need to step up education and awareness campaigns, so everyone from friends and loved ones to first responders and judges can recognise the signs of coercive control and take action,” he said.
Coercive control refers to a pattern of controlling behaviours that create an unequal power dynamic in a relationship.
It can include isolating a partner from family and friends, and controlling access to money and is the most common factor leading up to intimate partner homicide.
In a two-week inquest into Hannah’s death, the Queensland Coroner’s Court heard how her marriage to Baxter had been defined by his controlling and abusive behaviours.
Some of these included controlling what Hannah wore and who she could see, demanding sex from her every night, berating her body image and at times becoming physically abusive.
He would also frequently “use the children against her”, becoming aggressive towards them if Hannah refused to comply with his demands and threatening to take them away from her.
The proposed offence will carry a maximum penalty of 14 years’ jail and follows a recommendation by the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce.
Ms Clarke urged the family and friends of something suspected to be experiencing coercive control to give them “unconditional support”.
“There are so many things that need to go right for a victim of coercive control to escape their situation. They need to have the strength to get out, and they need to have the support of their closest friends and family,” she said.
“We urge everyone who sees friends or loved ones experiencing coercive control to give them unconditional support. It often takes many attempts to leave, and they need to know that their networks will be there for them when they make that break.”
Ms Palaszczuk said coercive control had “no place in modern Queensland”.
“That’s why we are committed to making coercive control a stand-alone criminal offence to break that cycle of fear, isolation, intimidation, and humiliation to make Queensland a safer place for women,” she said.
“Today, we take another proud step towards that change.”
Last month, Attorney-Generals from every state and jurisdiction signed off on new national principles identifying the common features and impacts of coercive control.
The national principles left the question of criminalisation up to each state and territory government.
NSW was the first Australian state to legislate a stand-alone offence of coercive control last year.
The Palaszczuk government also introduced legislation to make the removal of a condom during sex without consent considered rape, attracting the maximum penalty of life in prison, as part of an affirmative consent model.
Stealthing is already illegal in Tasmania, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT.