Human Rights Lawyers Support Progress Towards Justice for Victims of Historical LGBT Hate Crimes

August 23, 2021

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) LGBT Co-Chairs, Georgia Burke and Nicholas Stewart, welcome recent progress within NSW towards identifying suspects allegedly involved in historical LGBT murders. 

Georgia and Nicholas said: “While ALHR cannot comment on the details of  arrests, we can say that this has been, and remains, a long and difficult journey for families and friends of loved ones murdered during Sydney’s dark period of gay, lesbian and transgender hate crimes in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

“This epidemic of violence, motivated by hate, which swept through Sydney must be appropriately acknowledged and adequate remedies must be provided through our political and justice system.” 

“ALHR welcomes recent renewed action by the New South Wales Police Force that is rightly seeking to correct errors of the past – errors that prevented the proper protection of the human rights of LGBT victims of hate crimes.

“That the NSW Government has stepped up and committed to offering rewards of up $1 million for information in relation to relevant murders is also an encouraging sign of Australia’s progress towards acceptance of the LGBT community.

“ALHR renews its call on the Berejiklian Government  to establish a judicial commission of inquiry into this dark episode in New South Wales’s history – a move that would properly recognise the gravity of the events that took place and provide a transparent truth-telling process for victims and their families.”

Media Contact: To arrange an interview with Georgia or Nicholas, please contact Matt Mitchell 

M: 0431 980 365 E: media@alhr.org.au

Image Credit: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3602859/NSW-Police-suspect-gay-hate-murder-epidemic-unsolved-deaths-Sydney.html