LCA welcomes Commonwealth Parole Board

The Law Council of Australia’s (LCA) long-standing call for the establishment of a Commonwealth Parole Board was recognised in last night’s Federal Budget.

LCA President Juliana Warner said: “We recognise the important funding announcements tonight for the establishment of a Commonwealth Parole Board.”

The Federal Government announced it will provide $28.3 million over four years from 2025–26, and $7.3 million per year ongoing, for this purpose.

“Currently, once a federal offender is sentenced, responsibility for determining parole shifts to the executive branch of the government. The Law Council strongly supports taking the politics out of parole,” Juliana said.

“The establishment of a Commonwealth Parole Board will help to protect the right of incarcerated individuals to have their application for liberty considered in a transparent and accountable manner and address the risk of perceived political interference in parole decisions.

“The successful functioning of a Commonwealth Parole Board will be determined by the extent to which the final model is underpinned by four key design principles – independence, transparency, procedural fairness, and accountability.”

Other measured welcomed by the LCA were:

• $21.4 million over three years from 2025–26 to improve victim and survivor engagement in the justice system and inform the response to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s Inquiry into the Justice System’s Response to Sexual Violence;
• $1.6 million in 2025–26 to the Attorney-General’s Department to continue law and justice capacity building in the Pacific; and
• $1 million in 2025–26 to the Attorney-General’s Department to provide grants for community‑based projects to prevent modern slavery.