Sentencing Advisory Council publishes SVO scheme submissions

Media statement

The Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council has published 17 submissions received as part of its review of the serious violent offences (SVO) scheme.

The submissions from government, legal and service provider organisations respond to the Council’s recent Issues Paper, The ‘80 per cent rule’ (PDF, 3.2 MB), about how the SVO scheme is currently operating, whether it is impacting on victims’ and survivors’ satisfaction with the sentencing process, and potential options for reform.

Council member and Project Sponsor for the review Dan Rogers said that the Council is considering every submission carefully.

"We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to make a submission to the Council,” Mr Rogers said.

"Unsurprisingly, we are seeing a wide variety of opinions, with some stakeholders fully supporting the SVO scheme and calling for it to be strengthened and extended, and others indicating that they would like to see significant changes."

"We will weigh up all of this feedback carefully together with the research evidence we have gathered to provide the Queensland Government with evidence-based recommendations."

As part of its review, the Council has also carried out expert interviews, released a series of background papers, commissioned a literature review and consulted with victims of crime.

"It is critical that as many stakeholders as possible provided input before developing our recommendations," Mr Rogers said.

"We are particularly grateful to the victims of crime who have confidentially shared their experiences of the scheme with the Council."

The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, the Honourable Shannon Fentiman MP, issued the Terms of Reference to the Council in April 2021.

The Council will deliver its Final Report and findings to the Attorney-General by 11 April 2022.

Media notes

• The serious violent offences (SVO) scheme operates under the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 and applies to offenders who have been sentenced for a range of serious offences.
• Once a person is declared to be convicted of an SVO, they are not eligible for parole until they have served the lesser of either 80 per cent of their sentence or 15 years imprisonment.
• The SVO scheme was introduced in 1997 to respond to concerns about community safety and serious violent crime.
• View the Terms of Reference (PDF, 208.1 KB) outlining the matters the Council has been asked to consider.
• The Council has produced a series of background papers providing detailed information about the SVO scheme. They include information about the history of the scheme, key legal principles and data on the application of the scheme, including sentencing outcomes.