Thursday,9 February 2023


Questions without notice and ministers statements

Parole eligibility


Melina BATH, Enver ERDOGAN

Parole eligibility

Parole applications, as the member has outlined, can be incredibly difficult for victims and their families. I would encourage anyone affected to reach out to the Victims of Crime Helpline for the support they need. The victims register also provides support during this process, including helping registered victims to make submissions to the adult parole board.

This government is committed to keeping the Victorian community safe. That is why Victoria has the toughest parole system in the nation. Community safety is the adult parole board’s paramount consideration when considering whether to grant parole. This decision-making is enshrined in legislation. There is a longstanding process where each prisoner is eligible to make an application for parole, and this will be considered by the independent adult parole board in accordance with the Corrections Act. I appreciate the question; however, I will not be speculating on individual parole applications in this place.

The PRESIDENT: The supplementary, Ms Bath, is hypothetical. I am happy for you to rephrase it if you like.

Melina BATH: Thank you, President. Minister, will you review your policies about the protection of vulnerable communities and people within those communities and the perception that they have around persons who have been released on parole to ensure that there is good communication within those communities and that they are indeed safe and not at risk?

As you would appreciate, I am not going to speculate on every individual parole application. But the adult parole board, as the member should be aware, has a range of options available to ensure the safety of the community, including imposing requirements for persons to be subject to electronic monitoring as a condition of their parole order, exclusion zones and a number of others. If you would like to know some of the other options available to the adult parole board, I do recommend going to their website, but my office is also happy to pass on information on what the options are. But they are all matters for the adult parole board.