Politician Pauline Hanson has defended controversial comments about the horrific Brisbane murder-suicide, saying ‘these things happen’.
In a crime which rocked Australia on Wednesday, Hannah Clarke, 31, was murdered by her estranged husband along with her three young children.
Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4, and Trey, 3, were burned alive by their own father on their way to school after he poured petrol in their car and lit a flame.
But Ms Hanson said the cowardly murders shouldn’t lead to people ‘bastardising all men’.
‘Don’t bastardise all men out there, or women for that matter, because these things happen,’ she said on Monday morning.
Pauline Hanson (pictured on Monday on Today) said ‘these things happen’ and the public shouldn’t ‘basterdise all men’ for the terrible Baxter family murder suicide
Lloyd and Suzanne Clarke (pictured), parents to Hannah Clarke, break down at a vigil to remember their murdered daughter on Sunday
The killings have led to calls for more protection for domestic violence victims, after Ms Clarke was emotionally, sexually and financially abused by Baxter for years.
Speaking on Today, Ms Hanson said the murders have been in the news more than if it was committed by a woman – and that Baxter may have been ‘driven to it’.
‘You know, this has been for a week we have been in the news nearly every day about this horrific tragedy,’ she said on Today on Monday morning.
Hannah Clarke and her three children were torched in their car on Wednesday morning by Rowan Baxter (all pictured together) who stabbed himself to death at the scene in Camp Hill
‘But we don’t hear much about it when a woman has murdered her children by driving a car into a tree, she threw out a suicide note.
‘Or the woman who doused her husband with fuel and set him alight an said she was possibly driven to it.
‘A lot of people are driven to this, to do these acts for one reason or another.
‘Hopefully the family law inquiry will get to the bottom of it.’
On Thursday morning dozens of family and friends visited the scene of the tragedy to pay tribute to the family (pictured)
She was on Today to defend commentator Bettina Arndt, who made controversial comments about the Baxter murders.
Some MPs want Arndt to be stripped of her Order of Australia, after she praised a Queensland police officer for saying Baxter may have been ‘driven too far’.
Queensland detective Mark Thompson was taken off the case after making the comments.
‘Congratulations to the Queensland police for keeping an open mind and awaiting proper evidence, including the possibility that Rowan Baxter might have been ‘driven too far’,” Ms Arndt wrote on Twitter.
Rowan Charles Baxter (pictured, centre right, with his children) murdered his three kids in a horrific car fire on Wednesday
‘But note the misplaced outrage. How dare police deviate from the feminist script of seeking excuses and explanations when women stab their partners to death, or drive their children into dams but immediately judging a man in these circumstances as simply representing the evil violence that is in all men.’
Speaking about Ms Arndt’s comments, Ms Hanson said she should not be stripped of her Australia Day honour.
‘It was a horrendous act of what he did to his children,’ she said.
Hannah Clarke (pictured with daughters Aaliyah and Laianah) was killed just months after breaking free from her abusive husband
‘It was a tragedy and I am very deeply sorry for everyone.
‘Family and friends involved in this treacherous of what he did to his former wife and his children.
‘But Bettina Arndt should not be stripped of her Order of Australia. She is clearly stating what she thinks and what a police officer said.
‘This is why I have pushed for the family law inquiry to get behind what is happening on this.’
The Baxter family car (pictured) was set on fire in Camp Hill, Brisbane, on Wednesday February 19
Hannah Clarke (pictured, left) with Baxter (right) on their wedding day
Her comments come as a close friend of Hannah described her courageous last moments after she was ambushed and burned alive by her estranged husband.
Simon Farmer – a family friend who was with Hannah in the Intensive Care Unit when she died after suffering burns to 97 per cent of her body – described the devoted mother’s final minutes alive in gut-wrenching detail.
‘She hung in there … Until the last heartbeat brought a tidal wave of grief and anger,’ he wrote on social media.
‘You should all know how strong she was, she fought so hard.’
The three youngsters died at the scene.
Their father then killed himself beside the car when he knew his evil deed was done.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured, left), Hannah Clarke’s parents Lloyd and Suzanne Clarke (centre), and police commissioner Katarina Carroll (right) at the vigil
Hannah was rushed to hospital, with Mr Farmer saying the only part of his friend that was not burnt was her foot.
‘We were in the ICU and we knew there was no hope,’ the father-of-three told The Australian.
Sergeant David Beard shared the 31-year-old’s dreams of becoming a police officer at a vigil held on Sunday evening in Brisbane to mourn the loss of the family-of-four.
Hannah had spoken about her plans at a Police Citizens Youth Club while visiting a friend the day before she burned to death.
The shocking murder-suicide that has left Australia reeling unfolded just metres from the home of Ms Clarke’s parents on Raven Street, Camp Hill, as she drove her children to school
Hannah Clarke (pictured) with her ‘main man’, her son Trey, in a beach snap
The mum-of-three had desperately tried to keep her young family safe from their evil dad, but was struggling after her domestic violence protection order was watered down.
It has since emerged that he subject Hannah to years of domestic violence, prompting the brave mum to finally leave him last November.
There was a domestic violence order (DVO) in place, but she expressed frustration that the conditions wouldn’t be enough to keep her family safe.
Despite being stalked every day by her monstrous ex, the DVO was watered down to allow her husband to be a close as 100 metres from her.
In a text to friends sent on January 30 (pictured), Hannah expressed concerns about changes to the domestic violence protection order out on her estranged husband
Just days later, Baxter would approach the family car on the school run, cover his wife and children in petrol and set them alight.
‘I have to go back to court and had to drop off an application today to get the DVO conditions changed as he keeps turning up where I am,’ the mother-of-three said in text message to a friend, sent on January 30.
‘He got the DVO adjourned and when they did that they took off the no contact and made it just 100m from my home so technically he’s not doing anything wrong … hence why we need it changed!’
Even the female police officer who helped Hannah lodge her DVO last year told her it would do little to protect her from her evil husband.