The Government has announced plans to introduce the toughest laws in the nation targeting child killers and multiple murderers.
Under the proposed new legislation, a person convicted of killing a child and serving a life sentence, or a person convicted of multiple murders and serving a life sentence, could be blocked from obtaining parole.
The new laws would allow the President of the Parole Board Queensland (PBQ) to make a declaration blocking child killers and multiple murderers from parole for a period of up to 10 years.
Further, there will be no limit on the number of declarations that could be issued to these prisoners, allowing for further declarations at the end of 10 years and so on for decades.
Minister for Police and Corrective Services, Mark Ryan said whenever a prisoner applied for parole, families, friends and the community could be re-traumatised.
“These new laws are aimed at shielding those who have lost loved ones from unnecessary pain and suffering,” Mr Ryan said.
“To be clear, the Government is introducing these changes because it is committed to ensuring the safety of every member of the community and to protecting the families, friends and the broader community from unnecessary trauma.”
He said even if a declaration was not made by the President of the PBQ, a new presumption against parole would also be introduced for the prisoners who fell into this cohort.
“This means these prisoners, who are the worst of the worst, will have to prove that they do not pose a threat to the community before they are even considered eligible for parole,” Mr Ryan said.
