TRANSCRIPT:
I rise today to speak on the Corrections Amendment (Parole Reform) Bill 2023, a bill that I am proud to support and we are proud to support on this side of the house. The purpose of this piece of legislation is to amend the Corrections Act 1986, the principal act, in a few ways, primarily to strengthen the decision-making capacities of parole boards and the legal system. This is one of the larger overhauls of this system that has been brought to the chamber, and I am grateful to be able to speak on the matter today. Through this bill the Adult Parole Board of Victoria will, in certain circumstances, be able to specify a period during which a prisoner is not eligible for parole.
While this bill has emerged to address the widely reported parole situations involving one currently incarcerated serial killer, a man convicted of heinous crimes, it will also be applicable for cases with similar circumstances. This man, whose name deserves no recognition in this place, killed three women in Melbourne’s south-east in 1993 and was shockingly eligible for release earlier this year after being handed a 30-year non-parole sentence on appeal. The names in this case that do matter are Natalie Russell, Elizabeth Stevens and Debbie Fream, all of whom were tragically taken from this world far too early. These young women deserved the opportunity to grow old, have families of their own and live full lives. As a 34-year-old woman myself and as a mother, I find this truly and utterly heartbreaking.
The perpetrator was initially given three life sentences without parole for these murders. Now, 30 years on from the killings, it is clear that this man is not suitable to ever be released from jail. While the parole board rejected his application, the process involved was still bringing considerable stress to those connected to and directly impacted by this case. I note that this piece of legislation is supported by the families of these victims, and I thank them all for their support, advocacy and knowledge and their resilience.
For those in attendance today in the gallery, thank you so much for being here and the inspiring work that you have done to ensure this bill becomes law. I hope that this bill can help alleviate some of the stresses and hardships that have arisen through previous discussions surrounding the prisoner’s parole. I also want to thank all of those who have spoken in the chambers today on this bill, in particular the member for Frankston and the member for Berwick, who have provided passionate words and advocacy and kindness on this matter. To Mr Limbrick in the other place, thank you for your continued advocacy on this matter. This is a bill that has involved considerable consultation with the friends and families of the victims, with the police and with our courts. Today you can feel the emotion in the chamber, and it is heartbreaking to know that these would be daily occurrences for the families here today, and for that I am so sorry. It is pleasing to see that we have been able to find legislation that we can all agree will make our society a better and more just place.
In terms of the technical provisions of this bill, there are several that make this legislation suitable and fit for the purpose it needs to serve. Many of these provisions put significant focus on the public interest when it relates to cases of these types of prisoners. This bill inserts new section 74AC into the principal act to prevent any parole applications from the prisoner unless some very certain caveats are met. These include if, in the secretary’s opinion, the prisoner is in imminent danger of dying or is seriously incapacitated and as a result he no longer has the physical ability to do harm to any person and has demonstrated that he does not pose a risk to the community.
This bill amends section 3(1) of the Corrections Act 1986 to insert some important definitions relating to prisoners, including:
restricted prisoner means a prisoner who is serving a sentence of life imprisonment, in respect of which a non-parole period was fixed, for–
(a) two or more offences of murder; or
(b) one offence of murder, where the victim was a child; or
(c) one offence of murder, where the victim was also the victim of a sexual offence committed by the prisoner …
This bill amends section 73A of the principal act to require the board to:
… give paramount consideration to the safety and protection of the community in …
making decisions around parole matters. This bill inserts new section 74AAG into the principal act to allow that:
The Board by instrument may declare that the restricted prisoner is not eligible for parole for a period –
of between five and 10 years –
if the Board is satisfied that it is in the public interest.
This legislation also inserts new section 74AAD into the principal act to require the board by instrument to order that following an application where parole is denied, a prisoner serving a life sentence with a non-parole duration is not eligible for parole for the period specified in the order.
Just to close, I want to again thank you so much for your advocacy in being here today. I imagine it is incredibly hard, and we are very proud of all of your resilience and support. This is an important bill and one I am deeply proud to commend to the house.