‘Unspeakable tragedy’: Disability minister faces questions over Mosman Park murder-suicide

3 weeks ago 3

Hamish Hastie

February 3, 2026 — 1:31pm

Federal Disability Minister Mark Butler has described the suspected double murder-suicide that rocked the western Perth suburb of Mosman Park on Friday as an “unspeakable tragedy”, but declined to comment on the level of National Disability Insurance Scheme support the family was receiving.

The bodies of Jarrod Clune, 50, Maiwenna Goasdoue, 49, and their sons Leon, 16, and Otis, 14, were found at the Mott Close property on Friday morning.

Disability Minister Mark Butler during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday.Alex Ellinghausen

“This is just an awful tragedy, I think everyone across Australia is deeply shocked by what has happened,” Butler told a press conference in Canberra on Tuesday.

It is understood Clune and Goasdoue were the boys’ primary carers, and were under significant pressure and suffering from exhaustion at the time of their deaths.

“All I want to say is that this is just an awful tragedy, just an unspeakable tragedy for this family, but for the broader community, and I know the NDIA will do everything it can to assist the police in its inquiries.”

Police said the alarm was first raised by a carer who went to the house just after 8am for a scheduled appointment, allegedly finding a note on the front door warning them not to enter and to phone police.

Officers found the bodies of the parents at the rear of the property and the two teenage boys in another part of the house.

Two dogs and a cat were also found dead.

This masthead understands a second note inside the property was structured as a “letter” that allowed police to make the determination the case was likely a double murder-suicide.

The boys had previously attended the prestigious Christ Church Grammar School, but were not enrolled at the time of their deaths.

Detective Sergeant Jessica Securo told media on Friday the family had accessed care providers in the past.

Teenagers Leon and Otis were killed by their parents in a suspected murder-suicide in Mosman Park on Friday.

An investigation into the tragedy remains ongoing, and a report is being prepared for the coroner.

Youth Disability Advocacy Network chief executive Isabella Choate said disabled people were not burdens, and these deaths were “absolutely preventable”.

Choate claimed NDIS reforms embarked on by the Albanese government were relentless and rushed, and took particular aim at the waves of reassessments of NDIS participants taking place.

“We have said that these would cause harm; they’ve been cutting essential supports abruptly, without safeguards,” she said.

“We said this would put disabled people at risk, and now the reality is undeniable.”

Choate wanted the government to pause reassessments and halt the fast-track reforms of the NDIS.

On Tuesday, Butler announced a new tranche of care for families of children with mild autism or developmental disorders called Thriving Kids, aimed at taking those children out of the NDIS system.

Butler said there had been an alarming number of young children – including one in six boys aged five to seven and one in four junior primary-aged boys with minor developmental issues – enrolled in the NDIS, which was a “scheme that was obviously designed for significant and permanent, usually lifelong disability.”

All states and territories have agreed to support the Thriving Kids program at a cost of $4 billion, of which $2 billion will be provided by the Commonwealth.

It will see a range of services available to families of children younger than eight with low or moderate needs.

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Hamish HastieHamish Hastie is WAtoday's state political reporter and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Prize for best political journalism.Connect via X or email.

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