Hannah Baxter And Her Children’s Murder Was Domestic Violence, Why Is That Still So Hard To Say?
Hannah Clarke (formerly Baxter) was a business owner. She was an admired member of the community. She was a mother of three. And last night, Hannah Baxter became the ninth Australian woman to be killed at the hands of another in 2020. Her children are the sixth, seventh, and eighth.
But Hannah Clarke's death has been largely downplayed by the global media. On Wednesday, her estranged husband Rowan reportedly set their car alight while she and the children were inside. Laianah Baxter, Aaliyah Baxter, and Trey Baxter, all under 10, died at the scene. She tried to escape. Rowan's body was found at the scene with a self-inflicted stab wound. Hannah Clarke later died in hospital.
Her last words were: "He's poured petrol on me," a neighbour heard her scream while attempting to escape the inferno. Witnesses, who tried desperately to put the flames out with fire extinguishers and a garden hose, say they saw her skin peeling off.
It's unfathomable to imagine how much pain or terror Hannah Clarke would have experienced in these moments. But as news of this incident made its way around the world, headlines were more focused on the ex-rugby player, often described as a "good bloke" who "lived for his children", and who died "alongside" his wife and children, like his death was as much of a tragedy as theirs.
"Former rugby league player Rowan Baxter, wife and children killed in car fire," said CNN.
"Rowan Baxter died along with his three children," an initial Daily Mail report said.
"Rowan Baxter, a member of the 2005 Warriors squad, has been identified as one of the four victims," said a New Zealand Herald article, like it was some sort of accident.
Police say it's "inappropriate" for the incident to be called a "murder-suicide" at this time, and I understand the media's hesitation in speculation. But cars don't just burst into flame like they do in the movies. According to several witnesses' accounts, Rowan Baxter purchased a jerry can of petrol, doused the family car, set it alight, fought neighbours away from helping, and stabbed himself in the chest.
The Baxter children and their mother didn't just die in a burning car, they were murdered. Even Hannah's sister-in-law, in a Facebook fundraiser to help with funeral costs, said Hannah's parents, Sue and Lloyd, "have exhausted themselves to try and help Hannah escape this monster." How long had there been signs this might happen? Was it only a matter of time? And how could the system fail yet another woman?
It shouldn't matter Rowan Baxter was a former NRL player or a 'good bloke', or 'a loving father' who emotionally fell from grace during a custody battle, yet the narrative surrounding this man, and many men who commit similar unspeakable acts, is seemingly that of a father who was so devastated at losing access to his children that he snapped. But ‘good blokes’ don't murder their ex-wives and 'loving fathers' don’t incinerate their children.
If the reporting of news is the quest for truth, we members of the media owe it to women like Hannah Clarke to not shy away from the real issue at hand. If we continue to explain domestic violence away as an out-of-character blip, women like Hannah Clarke and her children will continue to become more heartbreaking statistics in this national crisis. It must end here.
This opinion piece was published on whimn.com.au on February 20, 2020