‘We fundamentally failed’: Apology for victims, survivors of hate crimes

The Minns government has offered an unconditional apology to victims, survivors, families and the LGBTQ community for the way NSW authorities handled gay hate crimes over a four-decade period, backing all 19 recommendations handed down by the world-first commission of inquiry.

Nearly 10 months after NSW Supreme Court Justice John Sackar presented his final, nearly 3500-page report into unsolved suspected murders of members of the LGBTQ communities in NSW between 1970 and 2010, the government said the inquiry showed major shortfalls in the way those deaths had been dealt with.

Commissioned by the previous Coalition government in 2022 after years of advocacy by independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, the Sackar inquiry considered 32 cases in detail, finding in 25 instances discrimination was likely to have been a factor.

The government supported all 19 recommendations made by the special commission, including a fresh inquest into the “manner and cause of death” of Scott Miller, Paul Rath, Richard Slater and Carl Stockton, and reinvestigating the death of Gerald Cuthbert in response to additional information.

“It is unacceptable that investigations were not consistently handled with professionalism, fairness, respect and compassion. For this, we apologise unreservedly to victims, survivors, loved ones, and LGBTIQ+ communities,” the NSW government said.

“The inquiry also heard of the deep hurt and betrayal that continues to be felt by LGBTIQ+ communities, and the legacy of distrust of government services enlisted with ensuring the safety and security of all citizens. We offer a sincere and full apology.”

The government supported recommendations to ensure police had world-class experts relating to bias crimes and made efforts to resolve all unsolved homicide deaths in the state.

NSW Police has established Taskforce Atlas to implement recommendations from the inquiry.

NSW Police was criticised in the final report; Sackar said in December the inquiry “faced significant and unexpected challenges with respect to both the availability of records and its relationship with” the force, while officers had been “indifferent, negligent, dismissive or hostile”.

Commissioner Karen Webb apologised on behalf of NSW Police less than three months later, saying victims and their families had been failed and not treated “adequately or fairly”.

Environment Minister and leader of the government in the Legislative Council Penny Sharpe said NSW government institutions had in previous decades “not only stood by inequality and injustice, but fostered, and at times participated in it”.

“We fundamentally failed the victims of these hate crimes and their families, and we can never let that occur again,” she said.

Police Minister Yasmin Catley said the inquiry made for “deeply difficult reading” and while acknowledging past wrongs could not be remedied, said the government would do “do everything in our power to learn, evolve and prevent history from repeating itself”.

“The government response is another step in the pursuit of justice and the government and NSW Police Force are actively working to implement report’s recommendations in partnership with the LGBTIQ+ community.”

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