Gay-hate bashings were reported to advocates 20 times a day during decades of New South Wales Police inaction, a strike force has heard.

The Parrabell report found systemic failings in police responses to hate crimes between 1976 and 2000, during which time violence was spurred by AIDS “moral panic” in the ’80s and ’90s.

The state Labor opposition on Wednesday called for a parliamentary inquiry into the “epidemic” of the violence following the release of the report.

It heard victims feared homophobia in the force, and instead recorded bashings with advocates and support groups, sometimes more than 20 times a day.

“Unfortunately, fear associated with anti-gay attitudes of officers within the NSW Police Force at the time prevented these reports being formally recorded which, in turn, meant that crimes were not investigated.”

The report concluded this lack of consequences for perpetrators gave them “social licence” to inflict violence.

NSW Police has vowed to learn from past mistakes, and is reportedly considering issuing a formal apology.

With the backing of advocates, Opposition Leader Luke Foley called for an inquiry.

Nicholas Stewart of Dowson Turco Lawyers, an LGBTI law firm, told reporters he acted for bashing victim Alan Rosendale.

He alleged there was evidence of police involvement in the attack on Sydney’s Oxford Street.

“An independent third-party witness identified the car carrying people who bashed Alan Rosendale in 1989, and confirmed that vehicle to be a [unmarked] NSW Police Force vehicle.

“We need a parliamentary inquiry – an objective, independent inquiry – to look at why evidence was lost, why witnesses weren’t talked to, why leads weren’t followed, and hopefully to identify who was in the car carrying people who bashed Alan Rosendale in 1989.”

Nic Parkhill, CEO of ACON, welcomed the report and its 12 recommendations, but said there was more work to be done.

He said all government agencies needed to go under the microscope, “so that these hideous and awful crimes that were directed at our community can be prevented into the future”.

“Sydney, for a long time, was a scared city for our community. People were scared to go out after dark for fear of being bashed. Overlay that with the AIDS epidemic, and you had a time full of fear where people were being beaten and actually murdered.”

Mr Parkhill also called on police to bolster the Bias Crimes Unit.

Labor MLC Penny Sharpe said when she moved to Sydney in the early 1980s as a young gay woman, she was told to carry a whistle because it was unsafe.

“This is something the LGBTI community knew was happening. We were being targeted because of our sexuality and it was not safe.”

Flinders University academics Derek Dalton and Willem de Lint analysed 85 high-profile deaths between 1976 and 2000 as part of the Parrabell Strike Force.

They found 17 cases involved anti-gay bias. Paedophiles were killed in 12 of the 85 cases, the academics concluded.

There was insufficient evidence in 33 cases, and no evidence of bias in 23 cases.