Jessica Collins (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Commonwealth Parole Board Bill 2025, which is a deeply flawed proposal. Unlike the Greens' Senator Shoebridge, we want accountability in our criminal justice system. This bill would strip the decision-making responsibility about parole for federal offenders from the Attorney-General and would enshrine a parole board that would then make decisions about parole, instead of the minister.

This parole board would be unelected and it would be fundamentally unaccountable—and, most importantly, right now, it would be elected by a very left government that has a poor track record of keeping Australians safe and protecting our way of life. It would also be made up of people who don't need the relevant legal, corrections or law-enforcement background. That's very, very important. As it stands, the Attorney-General is an elected member of the House of Representatives, accountable to the parliament and answerable to the people. The Attorney-General is not just another minister; the Attorney-General is the first law officer of the Commonwealth. The minister's decision as to whether a criminal goes free or remains in prison is a critical one. Currently, the Attorney-General has the final say over these decisions, and we, the people of Australia, can hold the minister accountable for their decisions.

The crux of why this proposal is so flat-out wrong comes down to accountability. Who holds the blame at the end of the day if that parole decision goes badly wrong? Who decides whether egregious criminals walk free early or not? Under this new bill, Labor is trying to take the easy path, to make the easy response. They will say: 'It was the decision of an independent body; don't blame us.' Under this new bill, this parole board would be appointed by this left-wing government but answerable to no-one.

This is a predictable step from a government addicted to shifting the blame. Just think about their response to Australia's record-high inflation. It is outpacing the rest of the OECD, because of the government and its spending, and, according to the Prime Minister and his Treasurer, the government is not at fault. The RBA begs to differ. The coalition's testimony—and that of many experts—shows that this government is hiding the truth: that the Labor government is degrading your standard of living, and, of course, it is a coalition, Liberal led, government that will restore it for the Australian people.

Immigration that has seen over 1½ million new arrivals to this country in three short years—that's not the fault of the Prime Minister; that's someone else's fault. But we all know the truth: that Labor has lost control of the borders. The ISIS brides are coming back. 'Don't blame me,' says the Prime Minister. They are Australian citizens, and Minister Burke must roll out the red carpet to these terrorists who seek to divide us or, worse, try to kill us in our own streets. Always remember: the Liberal led coalition will restore our standard of living and protect our way of life. There is a pattern here.

The Prime Minister is refusing to accept responsibility for his government's decisions, and federal prisoner releases are just the next step in a long line of abrogation. Federal offenders are not just people who have done the wrong thing; they include people guilty of the most serious and complex crimes—terrorists, including offenders with ongoing ideological networks, child sex offenders, including those involved in large-scale abuse material networks, people smugglers and transnational facilitators, serious organised crime figures, cybercriminals with international reach, foreign interference actors and those linked to hostile state activity. These are heinous and damaging crimes that destroy the fabric of Australia. Releasing these prisoners is not a box-ticking exercise.

The government tells us that more than 530 parole decisions were made in the year 2024-25 and that the workload is only increasing. But a growing caseload is not a reason to hand this responsibility off to a panel. It's a reason to make sure that the decision-maker has the authority and information they need and accountability directly to the community. These decisions often touch on classified intelligence, frontline policing operations and sensitive international issues. In our Commonwealth system, only the Attorney-General can bring together the highest levels of advice from across the government and ensure that every relevant agency is engaged with the seriousness and seniority that these decisions demand. This board, acting inside tight, legislative restrictions, would have nowhere near the reach an Attorney-General does regarding national security, nor would it have the same capacity or accountability. This is why these decisions should be kept at the highest level—with the First Law Officer of the Commonwealth.

When drafting this bill, Labor has also made one serious omission. They gave no serious considerations to victims. The government would rather placate victims with discretionary language rather than organise a sensible way for victims to have their say. What you do not see in this bill is any kind of mandatory requirement for the victims of these criminals to be consulted before a parole decision is made. There will be no legislative requirement for any notification that an offender is due to be released nor that a hearing is being held or that a parole decision is imminent. How is that fair? How is it fair or just that a victim of sexual abuse, organised crime, exploitation or a terrorist act should remain unaware that the person that damaged their life so terribly is being released into the community? This bill neglects the rights of victims and treats them as a matter of procedural consideration rather than honouring their right to feel safe in their own country. Victims don't need platitudes; they need enforceable rights to be notified, to be heard and to know their safety is being taken seriously.

The coalition has strong concerns that the appointed members of this parole board will reflect the diversity policy of this government rather than merit. There is no requirement that the members of this board have a legal, corrections or law enforcement background. This sounds more like the judging panel for the Archibald Prize than a serious, community safety focused parole board. Appointments to this board must be based on merit, demonstrated expertise and experience based in law, intelligence, victim advocacy and risk assessment. Labor would be placing the safety of victims and Australians, more broadly, on decisions not made by experts but rather by diversity hires. I wholeheartedly support the amendment proposed by Senator Cash to allow the Attorney-General to object to decisions made by the Commonwealth Parole Board. This is a principled change that keeps accountability firmly in the court of the Attorney-General.

Public safety has taken a backseat in this bill. If this board is to be inaugurated, the board members must be qualified. You can only think of the most horrific potential scenarios: a serial child abuser is jailed and considered for parole just years later, and an inexperienced and inept board or a weak, left-leaning one grants parole without any oversight or accountability, which may result in that abuser reoffending. I know there is always risk in these decisions, but this risk must be weighed and the judgements made by experienced men and women who are held accountable by you, the Australian people—