Commonwealth Parole Board Bill 2025, Commonwealth Parole Board (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025

The majority voted in favour of a motion "that the bills be now read a second time." In other words, they voted to agree with the main idea of the bills.

Agree with the bills' main idea

According to the bills digest, which is a nonpartisan document prepared by the parliamentary library:

The Commonwealth is the only Australian jurisdiction without an independent parole board. Parole decisions regarding federal offenders are currently made by the Commonwealth Parole Office (which sits within the Attorney-General’s Department) in coordination with the Attorney-General.

The Commonwealth Parole Board Bill 2025 and the Commonwealth Parole Board (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025 establish an independent Commonwealth Parole Board that will make parole decisions for federal offenders. The Parole Board will:

• be constituted by a Chair, Deputy Chair and at least 3 sessional members, who will have expertise in relevant parole-related matters

• have the power to make, amend, revoke or rescind parole for federal offenders

• be authorised to request relevant information from relevant persons (as prescribed by the rules) and, where relevant, disclose information to relevant persons including law enforcement officials

• have discretion in exercising its functions and powers.

In deciding to make parole decisions, the Parole Board may consider a broad range of matters that the Attorney-General can currently consider, including the risk to the community of releasing the person on parole; the person’s conduct while they have been serving their sentence; and the likely effect on the victim, or victim’s family, of releasing the person on parole.

The Law Council of Australia has welcomed the introduction of the Parole Board Bill as ‘an important step towards taking politics out of parole.’

The Bills have been referred to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee for inquiry and report by 19 November 2025.