The Commonwealth Parole Board Bill 2025 establishes an independent statutory Parole Board to make risk-informed decisions on the conditional release and management of federal offenders under Part IB of the Crimes Act 1914, transferring parole powers from the Attorney-General. The accompanying Consequential and Transitional Provisions Bill amends the Crimes Act to give effect to the new Board’s functions.
The Commonwealth Parole Board Bill 2025 creates the Commonwealth Parole Board within the Attorney-General’s Department with a Chair, Deputy Chair and sessional members appointed by the Governor-General. It sets out the Board’s functions—granting, refusing, deferring, amending and revoking parole orders and licences for federal offenders and other detainees—its decision-making processes (quorum, voting, guidelines, interviews), information-sharing powers, immunities from civil liability for acts in good faith, annual reporting and a statutory review after three years. The Bill commences by proclamation within 12 months of Royal Assent.
The Commonwealth Parole Board (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025 amends the Crimes Act 1914, inserting new sections 19AKB–19AKF to require the Board to decide, defer or refuse parole within the non-parole period; allow deferral up to three months beyond that period; set reconsideration windows of 12–24 months (and exclude reconsideration if less than 30 days remain); preserve judicial review; and replace references to the Attorney-General’s parole powers with the Board. These changes align federal parole administration with state systems and enhance transparency, accountability and community safety.
Establishing an expert, independent Board ensures parole decisions are grounded in evidence and public-safety risk assessments, reducing recidivism and maximizing community well-being [Judgment]. Centralising parole expertise away from political discretion also increases fairness and consistency in release outcomes.
Robust governance—clear appointment criteria, quorum and voting rules, written guidelines, information-sharing protocols and annual public reporting—strengthens the rule of law by insulating technical parole judgments from ministerial influence. This institutional design promotes trust, accountability and the effective rehabilitation of federal offenders.
The bill duplicates existing state parole functions and risks adding bureaucratic layers that may delay decisions and inflate costs without clear evidence of improved community safety[1]. The $28.3 million setup and $7.3 million per year ongoing expenditure could be redirected to frontline rehabilitation programs or strengthening state corrections.
Expanded deferral and extended reconsideration powers could prolong inmates’ uncertainty and discourage timely completion of rehabilitation programs, potentially increasing prison overcrowding and undermining reintegration incentives.
Financial Impact Statement, Commonwealth Parole Board Bill 2025.
2025-10-08
House of Representatives
Before House of Representatives
Unspecified
Attorney-General
Criminal Law Reform, Democratic Institutions