The NSW Government have announced that they have launched an inquiry into dozens of unsolved LGBTIQ+ hate crimes.
Dominic Perrottet’s NSW Government have launched a Special Commission of Inquiry into at least 88 murders of people in the LGBTIQ+ community between 1970 and 2010.
The commission will look to determine the cause of each person’s death, and try to uncover the reason behind the murder so the families of the victims can finally receive answers.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said, “These unsolved deaths have left loving families without answers for too long.”
“This Inquiry provides an opportunity to focus further scrutiny on suspected hate crimes, and under the leadership of Justice Sackar will work to close a dark chapter of our state’s history that has left an indelible mark.”
One of NSW’s leading LGBTIQ+ Health Organisations, ACON, is relieved to hear about the announcement.
“For decades, sexuality and gender diverse people in NSW were subjected to horrific hate crimes,” said ACON CEO Nicholas Parkhill.
“Significant questions remain, and they cannot be allowed to persist unanswered because evidence and memory have been lost. Many of the survivors and the perpetrators may not be with us for much longer.”
Importantly, the inquiry will also look into “systemic failures” in NSW’s law enforcement and justice system that led to such a high number of hate crimes against the LGBTIQ+ community.
While Perrottet might have his fair share of issues, we’re glad to see the government step up and launch an investigation into decades of atrocity (even thought it should have happened long ago).
