“We’ve never been able to get anyone up here from parliament before,” Mr Duroux said.

“This is a good thing and I’ll be listening to it all very carefully.”

The committee members, who are enquiring into the circumstances surrounding the murder of 16 year-old Clinton, along with that of four year-old Evelyn Greenup and 16 year-old Colleen Walker 23 year ago, chose to open proceedings in the town itself as a mark of respect to the families.

Committee chair, David Clarke MLC, said the committee had spoken to Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin, who had played an important role in investigations over the years and would be touring local sites relevant to the murders.

Tonight the committee will talk to family members.

“The terms of our enquiry are to see the impact of what has happened on the families and what can practically be done to help this grieving community,” Mr Clarke said.

“A wicked thing happened here 23 years ago, a tragedy that changed the lives of the families – and we feel obligated to do what we can for this community.”

Mr Clarke would not be drawn as to what sort of recommendations the enquiry might make to ‘help’ the community but said the committee was apolitical and would take as long as it needed to explore what could be done.

“All we can promise to do is the task entrusted to us – it is important that people know parliamentary members are here to genuinely engage with the families.”

Family member Leonie Duroux said the ultimate goal the families wanted was justice.

“We’d like to see all three crimes tried together – that’s the only way you get the full picture,” Ms Duroux said.

* For full story see this week's Guardian News.