Victorian Minister for Corrections, Paul Hamer, is demanding an urgent explanation from the Department of Justice and Community Safety over a clerical error concerning the management of offenders on Community Corrections Orders (CCOs).
In a statement, Minister Hamer said the issue involves the Department failing to update paperwork correctly between April 2024 and May 2026, meaning some directions or contraventions may not be valid.
He said the error had since been fixed for actions taken from 18 May onwards.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we will introduce legislation to fix this when Parliament resumes,” said Mr Hamer.
“It will be retrospective to make sure that people who failed to comply with their CCO face the full consequences of their actions and these convictions are not overturned.”
The original conditions on the CCO issued by the court remain valid and there are still serious consequences for non-compliance, he said.
“I have demanded an urgent explanation from the Department on how this happened.”
“I acknowledge the significant impact this will have on victims and affected families,” said the Minister.
Victims can contact the Victims of Crime Helpline on 1800 819 817 and advise that they are calling in respect of the CCO issue.
