Tasmania is removing good character references for serious offending as part of our ongoing community safety reforms, with the Sentencing Amendment (Good Character) Bill 2026 being debated in the House of Assembly today.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Corrections and Rehabilitation, Guy Barnett, said the legislation followed advocacy from victim-survivors and campaign groups, including the Your Reference Ain’t Relevant campaign.
“We have listened to victims and advocates who have told us that the justice system needs to better reflect the seriousness of offending and the harm experienced by victims,” Attorney-General said.
“We are making it clear that when someone is convicted of a serious offence, they should not be able to produce a so-called ‘good character reference’ to reduce the consequences of what they have done.
“Victims should not have to sit in a courtroom and hear about the good character of the person who has caused them harm.
“Someone’s prior good conduct does not lessen the seriousness of their offending or the impact that offending has had on victims and their families.
“These reforms are particularly important in cases involving violence, where the consequences for victims can be profound and lifelong.”
The legislation will prevent a good character reference from being used to mitigate a sentence for an adult offender convicted of a serious offence and will also apply when a court is determining whether to record a conviction.
“Through our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, our Government is continuing to strengthen Tasmania’s justice system and ensure offenders are held to account,” Attorney-General said.
