Fairfax Media has revealed an independent investigation has been launched into allegations that police officers from the Sydney suburb of Newtown were specifically targeted by an undercover drug operation because they were gay.
An eight-man strike force “Andro” was tasked to investigate alleged “illicit drug use” and was then allegedly used to exclusively target the three openly gay police officers who worked at Newtown Police.
Andro also targeted one of their partners.
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The taskforce intercepted their communications, spied on them in bars they visited and conducted workplace drug tests, Fairfax media reported, but did not find “direct evidence of drug use” or “related misconduct”.
Christian McDonald, Christopher Sheehy, Shane Housego and Steven Rapisarda said they were denied access to the investigation file and applied last week with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) for an external review.
The Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW decided to "accept for investigation" the four complaints of "homosexuality discrimination against the NSW Police Force".
Nicholas Stewart from law firm Dowson Turco told Fairfax: "Our clients say they were covertly monitored and targeted for drug testing purely because they identify as homosexual."
"They seek documents that they believe will evidence a discriminatory motivation by NSW Police."
A police spokesperson told Fairfax that while it couldn’t comment because the matter was currently subject to legal proceedings, the police force had "zero tolerance" for homophobia and any action which could be deemed a breach of the Anti-Discrimination Act.
