Anthony Harvey gave no hint of any problems in his interactions with the Jim’s Mowing franchising group.

Camera Icon Jim Penman. Credit: WA News

Jim Penman, the boss of the franchising network, issued a statement on the company’s Facebook page stating that the “only suggestion of trouble was his failure on several occasions to respond to phone calls, made as part of our effort to keep in regular contact with franchisees.”

“The Jim's Group community has been devastated by the deaths of the Quinn family in Perth,” Mr Penman wrote.

“The deaths are all the more shocking in that Anthony was a well-respected and well-liked Franchisee who had given no hint of problems in the many contacts we had with him over the past few months.”

Mr Penman said the company was looking to help any other franchisees who might be in distress.

“We are currently working to set up a counselling clinic at our Mooroolbark headquarters (in Melbourne), where qualified psychologists can give help at no cost to the franchisees either in person or by Skype.

“We are also looking at tightening the requirement for Franchisees to keep in more regular contact with us. We will do everything we can to prevent such a horrifying event from ever happening again.”

The Jim’s Group, which has more than 40 divisions, has been criticised by former franchisees in submissions to a federal parliamentary inquiry into problems in the franchising industry.

Mr Harvey, 24, and his wife Mara, 41, owned a Jim’s Mowing franchise. Before that, Mr Harvey worked fly in, fly out doing cleaning and grounds maintenance on mine sites.

Mrs Harvey, 41, was found dead at her Bedford home on Sunday alongside three-and-a-half-year-old Charlotte Kate Harvey, two-year-old twins Alice Ester and Beatrix Mae Harvey and 73-year-old Beverley Ann Quinn.

Mr Harvey has been charged with their murders.