Bail and remand across Australia

URLs correct as at February 2025

Aboriginal Services Unit 2018. Reducing Aboriginal overrepresentation in the criminal justice system 2018–2020. Justice Strategy and Policy Division, NSW Department of Justice. https://www.indigenousjustice.gov.au/resources/reducing-aboriginal-overrepresentation-in-the-criminal-justice-system-2018-2020/

Advisory Commission into the Incarceration Rates of Aboriginal Peoples in South Australia 2023. Report of the Advisory Commission into the Incarceration Rates of Aboriginal Peoples in South Australia. https://www.agd.sa.gov.au/law-and-justice/advisory-commission

Allan J 2025. Toughest bail laws in Australia pass parliament. Media release, 21 March. https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/toughest-bail-laws-australia-pass-parliament

Amnesty International 2016. “Heads held high”: Keeping Queensland kids out of detention, strong in culture and community. Broadway, NSW: Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org.au/report-heads-held-high/

Amnesty International 2015. “There is always a brighter future”: Keeping Indigenous kids in the community and out of detention in Western Australia. Broadway, NSW: Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org.au/report-theres-always-brighter-future/

Attorney-General’s Department nd. Closing the Gap. https://www.ag.gov.au/legal-system/closing-the-gap

Auld L & Quilter J 2020. Changing the rules on bail: An analysis of recent legislative reforms in three Australian jurisdictions. UNSW Law Journal 43(2): 642–673. https://doi.org/10.53637/FLIR9959

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) 2020. Accurately identifying the “person most in need of protection” in domestic and family violence law: Key findings and future directions. Sydney: ANROWS. https://www.anrows.org.au/project/accurately-identifying-the-person-most-in-need-of-protection-in-domestic-and-family-violence-law/

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2024. Prisoners in Australia. Canberra: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/prisoners-australia/2024

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013. Prisoners in Australia. Canberra: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/prisoners-australia

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2024a. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework: Summary report August 2024. Canberra: AIHW. https://www.indigenoushpf.gov.au/report-overview/overview/summary-report

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2024b. Youth detention population in Australia 2024. Canberra: AIHW. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/youth-justice/youth-detention-population-in-australia-2024/

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2013. Youth detention population in Australia 2013. Canberra: AIHW. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/youth-justice/youth-detention-population-in-australia-2013

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) & National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) 2024. 2.11 Contact with the criminal justice system. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework. Canberra: AIHW & NIAA. https://www.indigenoushpf.gov.au/measures/2-11-contact-with-the-criminal-justice-system

Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) 2017a. Incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Discussion paper no. 84. https://www.alrc.gov.au/publication/incarceration-rates-of-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples-dp-84/

Australian Law Reform Commission 2017b. Pathways to justice: An inquiry into the incarceration rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. ALRC report no. 133. Sydney: ALRC. https://www.alrc.gov.au/publication/pathways-to-justice-inquiry-into-the-incarceration-rate-of-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples-alrc-report-133/

Baldry E & Russell S 2017. The booming industry continued: Australian prisons: A 2017 update. Sydney: University of New South Wales. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312453408_The_Booming_Industry_continued_Australian_Prisons_A_2017_update

Barclay M 2019. Addressing the bail fail for ACT’s homelessness population. Parity 32(4): 28–29. https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.686276669227351

Bartels L 2019. The growth in remand and its impact on Indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system. Research brief no. 24. Indigenous Justice Clearinghouse. https://www.indigenousjustice.gov.au/publications/the-growth-in-remand-and-its-impact-on-indigenous-over-representation-in-the-criminal-justice-system/

Bartels L, Gelb K, Spiranovic C, Sarre RT & Dodd S 2018. Bail, risk and law reform: A review of bail legislation across Australia. Criminal Law Journal 42: 91–107

Boulten P 2019. Our first nations people in custody: A national disgrace. Paul Byrne Memorial Lecture, 24 October 2018. Current Issues in Criminal Justice 31(1): 91–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/10345329.2018.1558725

Brown D 2013. Looking behind the increase in custodial remand populations. International Journal for Crime and Justice 2(2): 80–99. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v2i2.84

Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) 2024a. Bail. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/topic-areas/bail.html

Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research 2024b. Custody dashboard. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/statistics-dashboards/custody/custody-dashboard.html

Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research 2024c. Number and proportion of Aboriginal prisoners in NSW reaches historic high. Media release, 13 November. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/media/2024/mr-custody-sep2024.html

Caruana C, Campbell E, Bissett T & Ogilvie K 2021. Leaving custody behind: Foundations for safer communities & gender-informed criminal justice systems. Melbourne: Centre for Innovative Justice, RMIT. https://cij.org.au/research-projects/leaving-custody-behind-foundations-for-safer-communities-and-gender-informed-criminal-justice-systems/

Chen D 2018. International perspectives on using bail to improve Indigenous criminal justice outcomes. Research brief no. 29. Sydney: Indigenous Justice Clearinghouse. https://www.indigenousjustice.gov.au/publications/international-perspectives-on-using-bail-to-improve-indigenous-criminal-justice-outcomes/

Clancey G, Evans J & Friedlander L 2023. Some long-term positive trends in youth detention in New South Wales (Australia). Safer Communities 22(1): 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1108/SC-06-2022-0023

Closing the Gap 2020. Closing the Gap Targets and Outcomes. https://www.closingthegap.gov.au/national-agreement/targets

Colvin E 2022. Bail decisions: Key challenges driving bail refusal. In M Camilleri & A Harkness (eds), Australian courts: Controversies, challenges and change. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan: 121–141. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19063-6_6

Colvin E 2019. Postcode (in)justice: Location and bail support services. Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice 5(4): 307–318. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-01-2019-0002

Commission for Children and Young People 2021. Our youth, our way: Inquiry into the over-representation of Aboriginal children and young people in the Victorian youth justice system. Melbourne: Commission for Children and Young People. https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/inquiries/systemic-inquiries/our-youth-our-way/

Cunneen C, White R & Richards KM 2015. Juvenile justice: Youth and crime in Australia, 5th ed. Melbourne: Oxford University Press

Department of Justice and Community Safety – Corrections Victoria 2019. Women in the Victorian prison system. Melbourne: Department of Justice and Community Safety & Corrections Victoria

Department of the Attorney-General and Justice 2023. Bail and Weapons Offences Review Taskforce. https://agd.nt.gov.au/law-reform-reviews/published-reports-outcomes-and-historical-consultations/bail-and-weapons-offences-review

Department of the Attorney-General and Justice 2019. Pathways to the Northern Territory Aboriginal Justice Agreement. Northern Territory: Northern Territory Department of the Attorney-General and Justice. https://agd.nt.gov.au/attorney-general-and-justice/northern-territory-aboriginal-justice-agreement/the-agreement

Dick S 2024. A suite of NT bail changes known as Declan’s Law is set to pass parliament. What will it do? ABC News, 14 October. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-14/nt-declans-law-bail-changes-explained-legislation-parliament/104440106

Donnelly N & Trimboli L 2018. The nature of bail breaches in NSW. Bureau Brief no. 133. Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/research-evaluations/2018/bb133-the-nature-of-bail-breaches-in-nsw.html

Finocchiaro L 2025. Strongest bail laws in Australia passed. Media release, 30 April. https://createsend.com/t/t-22B3E86BECE6BA5E2540EF23F30FEDED

Government of Western Australia 2024. Mandatory electronic monitoring for FDV thugs enshrined in law. Media release, 10 September. https://www.wa.gov.au/government/media-statements/Cook-Labor-Government/Mandatory-electronic-monitoring-for-FDV-thugs-enshrined-in-law-20240910

Hughes D, Colvin E & Bartkowiak-Théron I 2021. Police and vulnerability in bail decisions. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy 10(3): 1–17. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.1905

Hurley M 2022. Towards ending over-imprisonment: Addressing the impact of bail laws on women in Victoria. Precedent (170): 32–36. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.509363867721731

Jones P 2018. Breaking a vicious cycle: The impact of bail and conditions on juvenile interaction with the justice system. Journal of Applied Youth Studies 2(4): 29–43. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.719299980021354

Justice Reform Initiative 2024. Justice Reform Initiative submission to the ACT Legislative Assembly’s Justice and Community Safety Committee Inquiry into the administration of bail. https://www.justicereforminitiative.org.au/submissions

Klauzner I 2023. Investigating bias towards Aboriginal people in police bail decisions. Crime and Justice Bulletin no. 256. Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/research-evaluations/2023/cjb256-summary-investigating-bias-in-police-bail-decisions.html

Klauzner I & Yeong S 2021. What factors influence police and court bail decisions? Crime and Justice Bulletin no. 236. Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/research-evaluations/2021/cjb236-what-factors-influence-police-and-court-bail-decisions.html

Law Enforcement Conduct Commission 2023. NSW Police Force Aboriginal strategic direction 2018–2023 monitoring report. Sydney: Law Enforcement Conduct Commission. https://www.indigenousjustice.gov.au/resources/nsw-police-force-aboriginal-strategic-direction-2018-2023-monitoring-report/

Legal and Social Issues Committee 2018. Inquiry into youth justice centres in Victoria: Final report. Melbourne: Parliament of Victoria. https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/inquiries/inquiry-into-youth-justice-centres-in-victoria/reports

Mathieson B & Dwyer A 2016. Unnecessary and disproportionate: The outcomes of remand for Indigenous young people according to service providers. Journal of Children’s Services 11(2): 141–156. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-04-2015-0016

McCausland R & Baldry E 2023. Who does Australia lock up? The social determinants of justice. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy 12(3): 37–53. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.2504

McGorrery P, Bathy Z & Simu O 2020. Children held on remand in Victoria: A report on sentencing outcomes. Melbourne: Sentencing Advisory Council. https://www.sentencingcouncil.vic.gov.au/publications/children-held-on-remand-in-victoria

McLean S 2020. The incarceration equation: ALRC report seeks reduction in Indigenous remand population. The Proctor 38(4): 18–19. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/agispt.20182252

McMahon M 2019. No bail, more jail? Breaking the nexus between community protection and escalating pre-trial detention. Research paper no. 3. Melbourne: Victorian Parliamentary Library & Information Service. https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/about/publications/research-papers/no-bail-more-jail-breaking-the-nexus-between-community-protection-and-escalating-pre-trial-detention/

Moore D & Lyons T 2007. Sentenced to treatment/sentenced to harm: Women, risk and drug treatment courts. In K Hannah-Moffat & P O’Malley (eds), Gendered risks. Abingdon: Routledge: 183–204

NSW Government 2024. New bail and performance crime laws passed to prevent youth crime. Media release, 22 March. https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/new-bail-and-performance-crime-laws-passed-to-prevent-youth-crime

NSW Law Reform Commission 2012. Bail. Sydney: NSW Law Reform Commission. https://lawreform.nsw.gov.au/completed-projects/2010-2019/bail.html

Pisani A, Rahman S, Griffiths M & Poynton S 2024. Understanding bail decision-making: An observation and interview study. Crime and Justice Bulletin no. 265. Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/research-evaluations/2024/CJB265-Summary-Understading-bail-decision.html

Productivity Commission 2021. Australia’s prison dilemma. Canberra: Productivity Commission. https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/prison-dilemma

Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council 2017. Sentencing spotlight on breach of bail offences. Brisbane: Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council. https://www.sentencingcouncil.qld.gov.au/publications?a=735224

Rahman S 2019. The marginal effect of bail decisions on imprisonment, failure to appear, and crime. Crime and Justice Bulletin no. 224. Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/research-evaluations/2019/cjb224-the-marginal-effect-of-bail-decisions-on-imprisonment-failure-to-appear-and-crime.html

Richards K & Renshaw L 2013. Bail and remand for young people in Australia: A national research project. Research and public policy series no. 125. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/rpp/rpp125

Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) 1991. National report volume 3. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/IndigLRes/rciadic/national/vol3/

Russell E, Carlton B & Tyson D 2022. “It’s a gendered issue, 100 per cent”: How tough bail laws entrench gender and racial inequality and social disadvantage. International Journal for Crime, Justice & Social Democracy 11(3): 107–121. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.1882

Russell E, Carlton B, Tyson D, Zhou H & Pearce M 2020. A constellation of circumstances: The drivers of women’s increasing rates of remand in Victoria. Melbourne: Fitzroy Legal Service and the La Trobe Centre for Health, Law and Society

Sarre R 2018. How to reverse Australia’s remand explosion. Inside story. https://insidestory.org.au/how-to-reverse-australias-remand-explosion/

Sarre R 2016. Challenging spiralling remand in custody rates: What legal and procedural changes can address the trend? Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice 2(3): 196–205. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-08-2015-0035

Sarre R & Bartels L 2023. “Discriminatory impact on First Nations people”: Coroner calls for urgent bail reform in Veronica Nelson inquest. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/discriminatory-impact-on-first-nations-people-coroner-calls-for-urgent-bail-reform-in-veronica-nelson-inquest-198507

Schetzer L & Sotiri M 2024. Reforming bail and remand: Justice Reform Initiative position paper. https://www.justicereforminitiative.org.au/position_papers

Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee 2016. Chapter 5: Reasons for high Indigenous imprisonment rates. In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experience of law enforcement and justice services. Canberra: Parliament of Australia. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Finance_and_Public_Administration/
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Sentencing Advisory Council 2020. Children held on remand in Victoria: A report on sentencing outcomes. Victoria: Sentencing Advisory Council. https://www.sentencingcouncil.vic.gov.au/publications/children-held-on-remand-in-victoria

Steel A 2009. Bail in Australia: Legislative introduction and amendment since 1970. Australian and New Zealand Critical Criminology Conference 2009 Proceedings: 228–234. Melbourne: Monash University

Stone L 2016. A better approach to bail for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Human Rights Defender 25(3): 19–21. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.477747827285845

Symes J 2023a. New reforms to make Victoria’s bail laws fairer. Media release, 14 August. https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/new-reforms-make-victorias-bail-laws-fairer

Symes J 2023b. Witness statement of the Hon. Jaclyn Symes, Attorney-General. https://yoorrookjusticecommission.org.au/document-library/witness-statement-of-the-hon-jaclyn-symes-attorney-general/

Thorburn H 2016. A follow-up on the impact of the Bail Act 2013 (NSW) on trends in bail. Bureau Brief no. 116. Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/research-evaluations/2016/bb116-a-follow-up-on-the-impact-of-the-bail-act-2013-nsw-on-trends-in-bail.html

Travers M, Colvin E, Bartkowiak-Théron I, Sarre R, Day A & Bond C 2020a. Bail decision-making and pre-trial services: A comparative study of magistrates courts in four Australian states. Report to the Criminology Research Advisory Council. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://www.aic.gov.au/crg/reports/crg-3416-17

Travers M, Colvin E, Bartkowiak-Théron I, Sarre R, Day A & Bond C 2020b. Bail practices and policy alternatives in Australia. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 610. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.52922/ti04589

Travers M, Colvin E, Bartkowiak-Théron I, Sarre R, Day A & Bond C 2020c. Rethinking bail: Court reform or business as usual? Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44881-3

Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service 2022. Fixing Victoria’s broken bail laws. VALS Policy Brief. Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service. https://www.indigenousjustice.gov.au/resources/fixing-victorias-broken-bail-laws-policy-brief-vals/

Victorian Government 2024. Victorian Government response to the Yoorrook for Justice report. Melbourne: Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet. https://www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au/response-yoorrook-for-justice-report

Victorian Government 2022. Victorian Government Aboriginal affairs report 2022. Melbourne: Victorian Government. https://www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au/victorian-government-aboriginal-affairs-report-2022

Walker S, Sutherland P & Millsteed M 2019. Characteristics and offending of women in prison in Victoria, 2012–2018. Melbourne: Crime Statistics Agency. https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/characteristics-and-offending-of-women-in-prison-in-victoria-2012-2018

Weatherburn D & Fitzgerald J 2015. The impact of the NSW Bail Act (2013) on trends in bail and remand in New South Wales. Bureau Brief no. 106. Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/research-evaluations/2015/bb106-the-impact-of-the-nsw-bail-act-2013-on-trends-in-bail-and-remand-in-nsw.html

Weatherburn D & Ramsey S 2016. What’s causing the growth in Indigenous Imprisonment in NSW? Bureau Brief no. 118. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/research-evaluations/2016/bb118-whats-causing-the-growth-in-indigenous-imprisonment-in-nsw.html

Weatherburn D & Snowball L 2012. The effect of Indigenous status on the risk of bail refusal. Criminal Law Journal 36: 50–71

Weatherburn D & Thomas B 2023. The influence of Indigenous status on the issue of police cautions. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology 56(2–3): 253–277. https://doi.org/10.1177/26338076221146326

Weatherby-Fell C 2014. A complete overhaul of the bail system? The incoming New South Wales Bail Act 2013 and Aboriginal juvenile offenders. Indigenous Law Bulletin 8(11): 24–29. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.258057835560677

Willis MJ 2017. Bail support: A review of the literature. Research Report no. 4. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.52922/rr210064

Woodburn J 2024. Molly Ticehurst’s accused killer Daniel Billings appears in NSW court for first time charged with murder. ABC News, 20 June. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-20/molly-ticehurst-murder-accused-daniel-billings-in-court/103995582

Yeong S & Poynton S 2018. Did the 2013 Bail Act increase the risk of bail refusal? Evidence from a quasi-experiment in New South Wales. Crime and Justice Bulletin no. 212. Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/research-evaluations/2018/cjb212-did-the-2013-bail-act-increase-the-risk-of-bail-refusal.html

Yoorrook Justice Commission 2023. Yoorrook for justice: Report into Victoria’s child protection and criminal justice systems. Victoria: Yoorrook Justice Commission. https://yoorrookjusticecommission.org.au/key-documents/?_document_type=reports