The NSW government and police have yet to respond to the recommendations from the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes, despite the report being tabled almost nine months ago.
The Special Commission of Inquiry, which investigated the handling of dozens of deaths between 1970 and 2021, made 19 recommendations, 15 of which were directed at police.
The findings from the inquiry were released just before Christmas in 2023, following 18 months of hearings and investigations.
Since then, Police Commissioner Karen Webb took two months to issue an apology, first in an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, followed by a police media release. She addressed the media on the matter the next day.
Taskforce Atlas was established at the same time, led by Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell, to oversee the implementation of the police-related recommendations from the special commission. At the time, police indicated they were “conducting a thorough and considered evaluation of each recommendation”.
Gay Sydney News reached out to the police and the government on May 11 after a Sydney Morning Herald article suggested the task force would provide a progress report by the end of March.
At the time, police told GSN: “The NSW Government is currently assessing and is expected to provide its response to the inquiry’s recommendations shortly.
“While some recommendations align closely with initiatives already underway, the recommendations will be thoroughly assessed as part of ongoing efforts to enhance the service and accountability of the New South Wales Police Force.”
The government directed inquiries to the police for further information. When Gay Sydney News followed up, no further response was provided by either the police or the government.
In June, NSW Police held the inaugural LGBTQIA+ consultative committee with community members to help develop its response to the recommendations.
When Gay Sydney News reached out again in late August to both the police and the office of Police Minister Yasmin Catley, the response remained unchanged – there was no update or timeline available.
This was despite a statement on the police website noting that Taskforce Atlas would provide a further update on expected timeframes “as part of the NSW Government Response to the Special Commission by the middle of this year”.
The website did provide updates on two recommendations. For Recommendation 10 – which called for police “to conduct a systematic review or audit of all unsolved homicides from 1970 to 2010, including an audit of exhibits retained in relation to each death and their current location” – police reported that a working group had been established to develop a process for conducting the review.
The outcome of this review would inform the timeline for Recommendation 11, which called for the Unsolved Homicide Team “to promptly identify exhibits that should be submitted or resubmitted for forensic testing in light of possible technological advances”.
Gay Sydney News reporter