An amendment to the Sentencing Act 1997 to prevent ‘good character’ references from being used to mitigate sentences for serious offences has been introduced into the House of Assembly.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Corrections and Rehabilitation, Guy Barnett, said the Government is taking action to respond to concerns of victims of serious offences.
“The Sentencing Amendment (Good Character) Bill 2026 will amend the Act to exclude the use of good character references when sentencing adult offenders for serious offences and when determining whether a conviction should be recorded.
“We are making it clear that a person convicted of a serious offence should not be able to have good character references read out in court to reduce the consequences of their serious offending,” the Attorney-General said.
“Victims should not have to hear in court about the good character of the person who has caused them harm.
“Prior good conduct does not lessen the seriousness of an offence or the impact it has on victims, particularly where violence is involved.
“The reforms will also apply to parole decisions, ensuring good character evidence cannot be used to undermine the consequences of serious offending at that stage.
“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.”
The Bill delivers on the Government’s commitment to prevent the inappropriate use of character references and similar evidence in serious criminal matters and follows advocacy from victim-survivors and campaign groups, including the Your Reference Ain’t Relevant campaign, who have called for changes to ensure sentencing outcomes better reflect the impact of offending.
