Deal reached for police to march in Mardi Gras parade

Members of the NSW Police Force will march in Saturday’s Mardi Gras parade in plain clothes following an agreement with organisers, reversing an earlier decision to uninvite police from this year’s event.

LGBTQ liaison officers, LGBTQ officers and their allies and supporters will march “in a reduced capacity to the originally planned NSW Police float”, Mardi Gras organisers said on Wednesday afternoon. “To address concerns from the community, [they] will march in the 2024 parade out of uniform.”

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb marches in the 2023 Mardi Gras parade.Credit: AP / Mark Baker

The compromise reverses a request made on Monday night from Mardi Gras organisers for police not to march in this weekend’s parade due to the raw grief and anger surrounding the alleged murder of Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies by a serving gay officer.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb, who met the Mardi Gras board of directors and Police Minister Yasmin Catley on Tuesday morning following that request, said she was delighted LGBTQ officers, “as well as our other police who are allies and supporters”, would be able to participate.

“Police have agreed not to march in uniform, in consideration of current sensitivities,” Webb said. “The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is an important event on the NSW Police calendar and as commissioner, I am committed to continuing to strengthen the relationship between my organisation and the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Mardi Gras came under significant criticism following the request for police not to march, including from long-term gay rights campaigners such as Rodney Croome, Kerryn Phelps and Bill Bowtell.

Others had praised the move, including many community members who have long opposed including police in the parade, such as left-wing ginger group Pride in Protest.

Independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich, who is gay and had called for police to continue marching, welcomed the compromise outcome as a significant step forward.

“Having the focus on gay and lesbian liaison police officers, and not in uniform, is an appropriate compromise to address community concerns about the police needing to improve their approach to the LGBTQ community and our events,” Greenwich said.

He said the focus must now shift to how the government and police could improve the wellbeing of the LGBTQ community in Sydney and NSW.

In a statement, Mardi Gras organisers said the outcome would allow LGBTQ officers who volunteer their time and service to the community to participate in the parade in “a considered and respectful way as we navigate this tragedy together”.

They said discussions with police also explored the implementation of an external LGBTQIA+ advisory panel, following the recommendations of the recent inquiry into LGBTQIA+ hate crimes.

Better communication and understanding was needed between the police, the NSW government, Mardi Gras and the broader LGBTQIA+ community, the Mardi Gras board said, and this had been recognised in Tuesday’s discussions.

“Police and LGBTQIA+ communities have shared a difficult history, which must inform the continued development of communication and collaboration.”

Pride in Protest – which has for many years unsuccessfully sought to have the police float removed from the parade – accused the Mardi Gras board of betraying the queer community by backflipping on the earlier decision.

The board had “cracked under police pressure and is prioritising appeasing the state government and the police commissioner over the safety and wishes of the queer community”, the group said.

Police first marched in the parade in 1998, following efforts led by then-assistant commissioner Christine Nixon, 20 years after police arrested and bashed protesters in what became known as Sydney’s first Mardi Gras.

Premier Chris Minn said on Wednesday evening: “This is a good result, particularly for the many LGBTQI police officers who want to march on Saturday, and who have marched for the last 20 years.“