Opening Hearing: 2 November 2022

The Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes (the Inquiry) will hold its first public sitting on Wednesday, 2 November 2022, at 10am in Sydney.

Led by the Honourable Justice John Sackar, the Inquiry is looking into all the unsolved deaths of LGBTIQ people (or people presumed to be LGBTIQ) that may have been hate crimes between 1970 and 2010.

At this first sitting, Senior Counsel Assisting Peter Gray will outline the scope of the Inquiry under the terms of reference, as well as highlight the work that has been done so far and explain the next steps for the Inquiry in progressing its work.

There will be no appearances, evidence, or testimony on this occasion. However, over the course of the Inquiry, there will be both public and private hearings at which various witnesses, some of them family members, will give evidence and provide information.

The opening of the Inquiry will be held at the Chief Secretary’s Building, Level 2, 121 Macquarie Street, Sydney. The media and general public are welcome to attend. The opening will also be live streamed on the homepage of the Inquiry’s website.

Journalists wishing to cover the hearing should register with the media team to ensure access to relevant information including schedules and transcripts. A press pack will also be provided to registered media on Tuesday, 1 November 2022.

Background

For the last five months, a team of independent barristers, solicitors and investigators has been combing through more than a hundred thousand documents drawn from 40 years of police files, coronial files, and other sources in relation to LGBTIQ hate-related deaths. The Inquiry is also pursuing a range of other avenues relating to these homicides.

The Inquiry continues to appeal for the public to come forward with any information they may have into unsolved deaths over that period, which may have been LGBTIQ hate crimes. Families of persons who have died because of LGBTIQ hate crimes are also encouraged to contact the Inquiry.

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Transcripts