Mardi Gras moves to ban NSW Police from parade

Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is leaning towards barring NSW Police from marching at next year’s parade, as support for the dramatic move firms ahead of the organisation’s annual general meeting on Saturday.

After the long-vexed relationship with the force reached a new low earlier this year with the alleged murder of two gay men by a police officer, Mardi Gras members will on Saturday be asked to vote on three resolutions about whether the police should be allowed to participate in the 2025 parade.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb (centre) marches with colleagues in the 2023 Mardi Gras parade.Credit: AP / Mark Baker

The first resolution, from the board, recommends police be barred until “such time as they demonstrate a commitment to improving relationships with LGBTQIA+ communities”. The second motion, from the activist group Pride in Protest, would ban the police and leave officers with little prospect of the police ever being able to return to the parade. A third motion would continue the compromise reached last year of allowing police to march but not in uniform.

The relationship with the police reached a new low after the alleged double murder of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird in Paddington by an officer using a police-issued weapon. The response of NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb was also roundly criticised at the time as insensitive.

Police were initially excluded from marching at last year’s parade before a compromise solution allowed officers to march in plain clothes. For many, the 2024 Mardi Gras was an event spent in mourning, and a minute’s silence was held for Davies and Baird.

While the board does not recommend a vote for or against its motion, it highlighted members’ concerns that the NSW Police Force was not demonstrating a “commitment to better relationships and policing practices with our communities”.

“It became clear that the way the NSW Police Force interacts with our communities and other marginalised communities is not creating a sense of safety for everyone in our communities,” an explanatory document attached to the motion states.

“It was clear that there were improvements to be made, and more effort needed on behalf of the NSW Police Force to respond to the concerns of a significant part of our communities.”

The Mardi Gras community sentiment report surveyed 96 members from August 31 to September 11. More than half (54 per cent) of respondents thought police should not march, representing nearly 3 per cent of the organisation’s 3505 members.

Saturday’s meeting will consider police participation and 11 other motions. It will be held online, in person and by proxy, with about 200 people expected to attend at the University of Sydney.

Insiders, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk freely, said while it was impossible to say definitively what way the vote would go, there appeared to be movement in favour of barring police from the 2025 parade. One source expressed concern about the resolution’s nebulous wording, noting there were no criteria about what would allow officers to march again.

Multiple Mardi Gras board members declined to comment, deferring questions to the organisation’s media team.

Pride in Protest’s lead candidate for board director Damien Nguyen said support for barring officers had been growing over the past decade, and the decision to allow police to march last year was abhorrent.

A spokesperson for Mardi Gras said there were diverse views about the “deeply complex” issue. It acknowledged the consultation process represented a “small sample” of the membership but said the board encouraged engagement with the process.

“The motion calls for demonstrated improvement rather than outlining specific targets that would allow the NSWPF to participate. At this stage, the board feels that we do not have clarity on what this improvement would look like,” the spokesperson said.

The third resolution, from Mits Delisle, who is running for the board and a co-convener of Rainbow Labor, calls for police to be included in the parade but with conditions. These include restricting involvement to officers who identify as members of the LGBTQ community, prohibiting them from wearing uniforms or carrying weapons, and requiring a review of their participation in 2029.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.