The New South Wales government will formally apologise to people convicted under laws criminalising homosexuality in a move the premier hopes will bring closure to those who have been affected.
Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality, NSW will become the last Australian state to issue an apology after all five others did last decade.
The apology will come months after a scathing report found gay hate bias was a likely factor in 25 of 32 suspected homicides between 1970 and 2010.
Announcing the apology on Saturday morning, the premier, Chris Minns, acknowledged words can’t remedy the discrimination those affected were subject to.
“But I hope that it brings some semblance of closure to those that were unfairly targeted by laws of the day that criminalised gay and lesbian people for being who they are,” he said in a statement.
Last year’s inquiry into suspected hate crimes made 12 recommendations about unsolved murder investigations, including calling for a review of practices, procedures and resources.
Hearings revealed poor police record-keeping including a number of examples of crucial evidence being destroyed.
A government statement acknowledged the trauma people of diverse sexualities have experienced because of the past laws.
“While we have made significant strides of progress over time, we acknowledge that there is still much work to be done to ensure the equal rights for all members of our community,” it read.
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Former premier Neville Wran decriminalised homosexuality in NSW in 1984.
Victoria and South Australia formally apologised in 2016, while Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland did in 2017, and the Northern Territory followed suit in 2018.
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