NSW Government and senior NSW Police gathered with LGBTQIA+ community stakeholders and members in Sydney this week for the first LGBTQIA+ Consultative Committee.
Following the Special Commission of Inquiry (SCOI) into LGBTIQ hate crimes final report, NSW Police Force Commissioner, Karen Webb APM, directed the establishment of Task Force Atlas, an internal working group to review the recommendations and comments of the inquiry and take action to consider them and respond as appropriate.
The establishment of the LGBTQIA+ Consultative Committee has been initiated to provide a forum for community consultation in the development of the police response to recommendations (8, 15b, 19a & b) of the SCOI.
On Tuesday 25 June 2024, the committee held its inaugural meeting at Qtopia Sydney, located at the old Darlinghurst Police station, on Forbes Street, Darlinghurst.
NSW Government and NSW Police Force attendees included the Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, The Honourable Yasmin Catley MP and the NSW Police Force Commissioner, Karen Webb APM, along with Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell APM, Acting Assistant Commissioner Despa Fitzgerald APM, Officer of General Counsel Natalie Marsic and Detective Chief Superintendent Grant Taylor APM, Director Serious Crime Directorate, State Crime Command.
Membership included significant community stakeholders. In attendance was Alex Greenwich MP for Sydney, QTOPIA board member and Independent, Garry Wotherspoon; Sydney Gay Lesbian Mardi Gras Chief Executive Officer, Gil Beckwith; ACON Chief Executive Officer, Nicholas Parkhill; People with Disability Australia Chief Executive Officer, Sebastian Zagarella; First Mardi Gras Inc member, Barry Charles, and Family Representative, Steve Johnson.
NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley would like to acknowledge the enduring pain and suffering experienced by victims of these crimes, their families and loved ones and their many years of fighting for justice.
“The LGBTQIA+ Consultative Committee will enable community voices and experiences to help shape the NSW Police Force’s response to the Special Commission of Inquiry.
“I know that the NSW Police Force, under the leadership of Commissioner Karen Webb, is deeply committed to learning from the past and continuing to strengthen its relationship with the LGBTIQA+ community into the future. I know this work is and will continue to be taken seriously.”
NSWPF Commissioner Karen Webb APM supports the establishment of the LGBTQIA+ Consultative Committee to ensure community members are consulted as the NSWPF addresses the relevant recommendations laid out by the inquiry.
“While some recommendations align closely with initiatives already underway, Taskforce ATLAS will thoroughly assess the recommendations as part of ongoing efforts to enhance the service and accountability of the NSWPF.
“We continue to be committed to improve the ways in which the organisation responds to LGBTIQ+ concerns and the involvement of community members in those discussions is vital.”
Discussions during the meeting included an overview of the workstreams of Task Force ATLAS, of which the LGBTQIA+ consultative committee is one, the Term of Reference of the LGBTQIA+ Consultative Committee, membership of the LGBTQIA+ Consultative Committee including the selection process and the Co-Chair of the committee. The committee is looking forward to achieving the recommendations of the SCOI and continuing to build relationships between the NSWPF and the LGBTQIA+ community.
The LGBTQIA+ Consultative Committee meetings will be held quarterly, with the next meeting scheduled for Wednesday 9 October 2024.
