Tasmania’s Parole Board will face an independent review after it was revealed it relied on AI-generated material citing case law that did not exist.
Attorney-General Guy Barnett announced today that advisory firm KordaMentha will carry out the review.
“The circumstances surrounding the board’s use of unverified AI-generated material when imposing parole conditions are very concerning,” he said.
“It is imperative that these matters are examined thoroughly and transparently.”
The review will assess the governance, systems and controls behind parole decisions, he said.
It will also recommend reforms to strengthen integrity, fairness, transparency and accountability.
The problem came to light in the case of Susan Neill-Fraser, who was released on parole in 2022 after serving 13 years behind bars for the 2009 murder of her partner Bob Chappell.
The board later added a condition that stopped her speaking to the media to claim her innocence or allege a wrongful conviction.
Neill-Fraser challenged the condition in the Supreme Court. Earlier this month, Justice Stephen Estcourt ruled it invalid, finding it denied her procedural fairness.
He also found the board had relied on a document citing case law he described as “fictitious” and likely “AI hallucinations”.
Barnett then wrote to the board seeking an explanation of its professional standards.
The Department of Justice separately announced a review of whether AI had informed past board decisions.
Prisoners Legal Service Tasmania chair Greg Barns described the error as troubling.
“Our view is that the board should resign and there should be an audit of other decisions in recent times which involve case law,” he told ABC Radio last week.
“It is unconscionable that an authority which is responsible for the freedom of people would not check, particularly in a high profile case and particularly when they were going to impose a condition which they knew was a serious breach of human rights.”
Greens corrections spokesperson Cecily Rosol had called for any review to be independent.
Barnett said the review was about protecting the parole system’s standing with the public.
“Our community must have confidence that decisions made within the justice system are founded upon accurate information, sound professional judgement and robust governance,” he said.
The review’s terms of reference will be released once finalised.
