A mother has made a brief appearance in a Perth court on charges of murdering her three children, whose bodies were found after a fire at their Port Hedland home in WA's Pilbara region.
Margaret Dale Hawke was not required to plead to charges of killing her 10-year-old daughter, seven-year-old son and five-month-old son, as well as a fourth count of causing criminal damage by fire.
During the hearing in Perth Magistrates Court, the 36-year-old spoke only to confirm her name and to say she understood the allegations against her.
Ms Hawke was told if she wanted to apply for bail that she would need to apply to the Supreme Court, because of the seriousness of the charges.
She was taken into custody shortly after firefighters found the bodies of the three children last Tuesday afternoon, when the house fire had been brought under control.
Ms Hawke was later flown to Perth for further medical treatment.
Police announced the charges against her earlier on Tuesday morning.
A community in mourning
Speaking in Perth, newly appointed WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the Port Hedland community had "come together" as they grieved the deaths.
"They're a strong community [and] I know they're working closely together," he said.
"Everyone from local council, the government, the police, all the departments, and the local community and family have met several times and are really just spending time together as a close-knit community."
Commissioner Blanch could not confirm if the children were deceased before the fire.
"This will be part of the investigation. We had forensics up there for some time, we have now interviewed the person obviously charged.
"Everyone is grieving, the extended family, the immediate family, the Port Hedland community, the West Australian community; this is a tragic event," he said.
"It's a very, very difficult one to get over."
Family pleads for privacy
The family of Ms Hawke and her children was seen grieving near the home comforting each other on Thursday afternoon while authorities moved the children's bodies from the site.
In a statement, the family asked the public and local community to respect the investigatory process, something police said would take time.
"Our family is going through a very traumatic grief process," they said in a statement released by police on Friday.
"We request that people do not speculate and make comments on the events surrounding the passing of our beautiful children.
"We ask that people respect our cultural protocols and not mention our children's names, or share their images without our permission.
"We are quietly paying tribute to our three little angels, and just supporting each other at this time."
'They've been flooded with attention'
The Department of Communities said last week that the family was well-known in the area.
"They're going through the most difficult time that you could imagine. They're grieving for the loss of these babies," the department's acting regional executive director Sally Kirk said.
"They've been flooded with attention … they've asked everyone if they could please give them space to grieve, to be private, to go through this."
The WA Country Health Service has encouraged people in the community to prioritise their mental health in the wake of the tragic incident.
"Now more than ever, it's important that we continue to be there for one another," regional manager Roger Golling said.
