Commonwealth Parole Board
25 November 2025
On 19 November 2025, the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee tabled its report into the Commonwealth Parole Board Bill 2025 and the Commonwealth Parole Board (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025. Our submission was quoted throughout the Report, which recommended the passage of the Bills.
We welcome this recommendation as our submission to the Inquiry supported the passage of the Bills while engaging productively with the Committee to try and improve processes for the development of guidelines for parole decisions, access to hearings, legal assistance, the qualification of members and data reporting.
The Law Council has long advocated for the creation of a Commonwealth Parole Board. Our 2025 Federal Election Call to Parties called for a commitment to establish such an authority in the 48th Parliament. We commend the Government for introducing these bills to establish what will be an important new institution in the criminal justice system.
Our 2022 Position Paper, Principles Underpinning a Federal Parole Authority, set out design principals for a new body which is independent, transparent, accountable and delivers procedural fairness.
The proposed Commonwealth Parole Board will transfer decision making regarding parole decisions of persons incarcerated for commonwealth criminal offences from the Attorney-General to an independent statutory authority. In doing so, it will bring the Commonwealth into alignment with State and Territory justice systems.
Last Updated on 25/11/2025
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