Doreen Langham and Hannah Clarke endured similar escalating and terrifying acts of domestic violence before they were killed, yet their dealings with police were starkly different.
After inquests into both tragedies it is hoped urgent changes to police training will help prevent other victims from being killed in similar horrific circumstances, but advocates are not entirely convinced.
Former CEO of Women's Legal Service Queensland, Angela Lynch, has backed the Coroner's recent recommendations, and said more training was crucial, but education only went so far.
"Training can't change everything and that's why it's important to consider attitudes and culture," she said.
The state government has already committed to an independent commission of inquiry which will review any cultural issues within the Queensland Police Service.
Another ongoing independent review, the Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce, was probing the experience of women reporting domestic violence to police. That report was handed down on Friday.
Domestic violence should be treated as domestic terrorism
Ms Lynch acknowledged "significant change" had already been brought about since the murders, but the findings in Ms Clarke's case highlighted the danger of "fixated and obsessive" behaviour in partners who were "extremely controlling and highly jealous".
"The case has really been a watershed moment in many ways … there's a number of things that are already in train," she said.
But Ms Lynch said the potential risk of some offenders to their victims was so extreme, preventative laws should be considered before "terrible incidents" take place.
"If we think about public terrorism, we have legislation in place, we require the police to act pre-emptively before a violent incident occurs," she said.
"We really need to get a system that really comes around and protects … and really is holding the perpetrator accountable."
No consistent approach
Ms Clarke and Ms Langham's murders were the subject of separate coronial inquiries earlier this year, both overseen by Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley, whose findings were handed down this week.
The inquests had the same key purpose — to put the response of the Queensland Police Service under the microscope.
The Queensland Coroners Court heard hours of evidence from multiple officers who had interactions with Ms Clarke and Ms Langham, as well as the men who repeatedly offended against them.
Their evidence painted a clear picture of how reports of domestic violence, both physical and non-physical, were dealt with by police and how that response varied on any given day.
Most of Ms Clarke's complaints were taken seriously, and despite some missed opportunities by police, the coroner found very little could have been done to stop her murder.
However, it was determined there was a clear failure from agencies, in conjunction with police, to recognise that Ms Clarke was at extreme risk of being killed and there had been no proper assessment about her children's safety.
Ms Langham's experience was the opposite. The Coroner found Ms Langham's concerns were ignored, or not dealt with even close to adequately.
Coroner Bentley found police had completely failed Ms Langham, and that her death could have been prevented, had they responded appropriately.
Despite the contrasting ways these women were treated, the Coroner made almost identical recommendations about how police should deal with domestic violence matters.
She also acknowledged changes that had already been made within the service since the two crimes, and conceded police alone were not able to deal with the scourge of domestic violence.
What happens now?
The Coroner called for urgent action on police training and the types of policing services that victims have access to.
In both findings, funding was recommended in order to trial a specialist police station in the Logan district for 12 months — an area that receives the highest number of domestic violence reports in the state.
Police union president Ian Leavers this week pushed for the funding and the establishment of the stations to be immediate — a move endorsed by Hannah Clarke's parents.
The stations would be staffed by a multidisciplinary team, including officers with specialist training, a social worker, a child safety officer, a legal adviser, and a staff member from both the Department of Housing and Queensland Health.
Other recommendations included funding another trial in Logan for a specialist social worker to be placed at the front counter of every police station in that district.
The Coroner also called for a week-long, comprehensive face-to-face training program to be completed by all specialist officers, and an in-person module on domestic violence be made mandatory for the entire service, with annual refresher training.
Changes to the QPS operating manual have also been suggested, including a requirement for officers to look at an offender's interstate record when attending every domestic violence matter.
Funding for men's behavioural change programs and the need for police to provide offenders with information about support and counselling, are also among the recommendations.
Ms Lynch said for the sake of all domestic violence victims "we must do better".
"Unfortunately, that is her legacy and her children's legacy, we must learn — we must do better."
