Jim Lees

Jim Lees served as Commissioner of Police from October 1979 to December 1981. His tenure bridged the period between the first Mardi Gras crackdown of 1978 and the passage of the Wran government’s anti-discrimination protections. Male homosexual acts remained criminal offences throughout his time as Commissioner, and this period saw the early emergence of anti-gay violence in Sydney’s inner-city precincts that would intensify dramatically over the following decade. No specific documented statements or LGBTIQ-related policy decisions by Commissioner Lees have been identified for this project at this stage.

Tenure dates sourced from Wikipedia: List of commissioners of the New South Wales Police. Wikipedia is used for reference only; substantive claims are sourced to primary documents cited elsewhere in this project.