Key Points
- The NSW government has accepted all 19 recommendations from an inquiry into gay hate crimes.
- The recommendations include new investigations into unsolved murders using new forensic technologies.
- LGBTIQ+ organizations have welcomed the government’s response to the investigation.
Two leading LGBTIQ+ organizations have welcomed the NSW Government’s announcement that it will support all 19 recommendations set out in the final report of an inquiry into historic anti-gay hate crimes.
In its official response, the government “unreservedly apologizes” to relatives and victims of alleged murders motivated by homosexual hatred between 1970 and 2010.
The inquiry found that the unsolved murders had been hampered by “shameful homophobia, transphobia and bias” in society and within the NSW Police, and determined that of 34 cases re-examined, there was reason to suspect that LGBTIQ+ bias was a factor in 25 cases.
When Judge John Sackar recommended that further inquests be launched into four deaths.
Responding to the report on Thursday, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said: “The mistakes of our past will not define our future. »
“I would like to apologize for the failures of the NSW Police Force in failing to adequately and fairly investigate bias-motivated crimes against members of the LGBTIQ+ community between 1970 and 2010.” , Webb told reporters in Sydney.
Legislative Council Government Leader Penny Sharpe said that, in the past, NSW government institutions “set a standard that not only defended inequality and injustice, but encouraged it and, at times, participated in it.”
“We have fundamentally failed the victims of these hate crimes and their families, and we can never allow this to happen again,” she said in a statement.
The inquiry recommended a systematic review or audit of all unsolved homicides between 1970 and 2010, and the government says it has already established a task force to determine how to proceed.
LGBTIQ+ organizations react to the government’s announcement
Justin Koonin is the president of NSW LGBTIQ+ health organization ACON.
He praised the NSW government for its response and said the inquiry “revealed systemic issues that allowed such injustices to persist”.
“Its findings highlighted the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to ensure that such tragedies and failures do not happen again,” he said.
Koonin said the release of the state government’s response and apology “signals a critical moment in our ongoing journey toward justice, healing and equality.”
“We thank the commission and all stakeholders who, with great courage and courage, worked together to shine a powerful light on the darkness of this time for many people in our communities,” he said.
Equality Australia’s legal director, Emily Gray, said: “While nothing can ever erase the suffering of the victims and their families, today’s apology represents an acknowledgment of their pain and a strong commitment to prevent such injustices, now and in the future. »
“We welcome the intention to implement the inquiry’s 19 recommendations and urge the State Government to translate its goodwill into action by removing any remaining discrimination against the LGBTIQ+ community from NSW law ” Gray said.
New investigations into hate crimes against homosexuals
Unsolved murders dating back 40 years will be examined using modern forensic technology following the investigation into gay hate killings.
The recommendations include seven relating to specific cases, the other 12 relating to investigation and case management practices.
Four deaths – those of Scott Miller, Paul Rath, Richard Slater and Carl Stockton – could face further investigations after the inquest uncovered new evidence, with detectives working with the coroner’s office to see if they are justified.
The hearings revealed poor record-keeping practices by police during this period, leading to crucial evidence being lost, destroyed or misplaced.
Following this audit, police will re-examine relevant evidence which can be subjected to forensic testing using new technologies.
With additional reporting from the Australian Associated Press (AAP).
