Margaret Hawke: Inquiry into why Port Hedland mother who murdered children wasn’t helped after seeking refuge

The tragic case of Margaret Hawke – the struggling mother who murdered her three young children for setting their Port Hedland home alight – should be probed by all involved agencies. That is the view of the State’s former child protection minister Simone McGurk, who said it was hard not to be horrified by the details revealed during Hawke’s Supreme Court sentencing hearing on Friday. The court was told that Hawke had sought help from a women’s refuge the night before the tragedy because she was struggling to cope with the pressures of motherhood. She was turned away because the hostel was full. And earlier, following the birth of her youngest child, she had also told hospital staff she wanted to stay at a hostel after her release because of the state of her home. That request was also denied. In July last year, Hawke stabbed and strangled her 10-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son, and suffocated her four-month-old baby boy at their Anderson Street home. After she killed her children, the 36-year-old walked to the beach to dispose of the knife before returning to the house where she lit fires in the front and back bedrooms. She will be sentenced next Friday. Speaking on Sunday, Ms McGurk said her heart went out to that family, “and the broader community who I know, will be still dealing with the grief and horror of that case.” “It is so sad, what occurred to those children,” Ms McGurk said. She said that the refuge which Hawke attended was designed for victims of domestic violence – and may not have been equipped to deal with young children. “We have built some new refuges early on in our term that were specifically designed to accommodate children, and particularly older children as well. “We’re trying to build capacity for domestic violence cases. But as you can imagine, they’re not able to take every case And she also said she expected that all agencies – both government and non-profit – in the region would look closely at the circumstances of the case. “There’s no doubt that the all the government agencies and the other services – the not for profits - that operate in the Port Hedland community, we will be looking very closely at this case to see what could be improved. “It is incumbent on government agencies and local services in the area that are funded to support vulnerable people to look closely at these cases and see what improvements can be made.”