Hannah Clarke’s parents step back from charity Small Steps 4 Hannah
Andrew Stafford
Hannah Clarke’s parents, exhausted by the emotional burden of preserving their murdered daughter’s legacy, have given up running the anti-domestic violence charity named in her memory.
Clarke and her three young children, Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey, were killed by her estranged husband, Rowan Baxter, who doused their car with gasoline and set it on fire in February 2020.
Baxter killed himself at the traumatic scene in the Brisbane suburb of Camp Hill.
The crime shocked the country and was central to the recognition of coercive control as a feature of domestic and family violence.
A month after their daughter and grandson were murdered, Clarke’s parents, Sue and Lloyd, launched the Small Steps 4 Hannah charity.
The couple has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of coercive control, which includes monitoring the partner’s movements, isolating them from friends and family, and monitoring communications.
They also campaigned for standalone legislation against such control, which passed the Queensland parliament in May 2025. The law is informally known as “Hannah’s Law,” and the crime carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
But Small Steps 4 Hannah president Mark Woolley said the fight against coercive control and domestic and family violence continued.
“The Small Steps 4 Hannah Foundation continues to lobby for law reform and provide meaningful support to families in need,” he said in a statement.
“Our wonderful founders, Sue and Lloyd Clarke, have announced their intention to reduce their workload in order to ease the personal burden this journey has placed on them.
“However, Sue and Lloyd will continue to be closely involved as tireless advocates for this cause and as administrators of the foundation they established in memory of Hannah and the children.”
The statement said the foundation is financially secure and will continue to pursue the Clarkes’ vision of ending domestic and family violence.
“We look forward to the day when an organization like ours is no longer needed,” Woolley said. But unfortunately it is so and we will continue to fight.”
Baxter was subject to a domestic violence order after kidnapping his daughter Laianah the day after 2019. In January 2020, the order was changed, granting him full access to his children less than two months before he killed them.
He allegedly subjected Hannah Clarke to years of physical, emotional and financial abuse.
The investigation revealed the man also photographed the woman’s movements, placed recording devices around her home, monitored her phone use and tried to prevent her from seeing her family.
ourwatch.org It says a woman is killed by a current or former partner every nine days in Australia.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the Lifeline on 13 11 14, 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.
AAP
