May 3, 2023

The Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes has welcomed today’s announcement by the New South Wales Government granting its request for an extension of time to deliver its report.

The report will now be due on 30 August 2023.

Under the Terms of Reference, the Inquiry is required to inquire into and report on:

• those deaths considered by the NSW Police Force in Strike Force Parrabell which were potentially motivated by gay hate bias and which remain unsolved (Category A); and
• all unsolved deaths between 1970 and 2010 (whether considered by Strike Force Parrabell or not) which are suspected hate crime deaths where the victim was a member of the LGBTIQ community (Category B).

The extension was required given the significant volume of work being undertaken by the Inquiry.

To date, the Inquiry has received and reviewed over 120,000 documents from a range of institutions including but not limited to the NSW Police Force, the Coroners Court of NSW, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, NSW Health and NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages.

The Inquiry has heard evidence in public hearings about the social and cultural context in which suspected LGBTIQ hate crime deaths occurred, as well as extensive evidence from NSW Police Force witnesses (about Strike Forces Parrabell, Neiwand, Taradale and Macnamir) and expert witnesses.

The Inquiry will examine further cases in public proceedings in May and June 2023.

Former Deputy Commissioner Michael Willing will return to give additional evidence when the second public hearing of the Inquiry concludes on Friday.

This final portion of the second hearing will take place at 10am on Friday 5 May 2023 at the Chief Secretary’s Building, Level 2, 121 Macquarie Street, Sydney. The hearing is open to the public and will be livestreamed via the Inquiry’s website.

The Honourable Justice John Sackar will preside at the hearing. Counsel Assisting the Inquiry will be Peter Gray SC.

Journalists wishing to cover the hearing should notify the Inquiry’s media team to ensure access to the media room and/or relevant information including schedules and transcripts.

More information about past hearings, including transcripts and videos (external link) , can be found on the Inquiry’s website.

All inquiries regarding this hearing should be directed to [email protected].