NSW Prisons Can Monitor Calls and Mail, Drug Court Identities Stay Private, and Government Can Restrict Security Licences

Justice Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2026

5 Aug 2026: This bill has passed its first house and is now before the second house for its own debate.

Legislative Assembly

Legislative Council

Assent

Introduced by: Michael Daley (ALP); Daniel Mookhey (ALP)

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

It is a criminal offence to publish material that identifies someone in a Drug Court supervision and control program.
Coroners can direct a person to produce a report; this power overrides certain child protection privacy rules, including those in the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act.
Prisoners cannot use the defence that they did not know or suspect a plant was a prohibited plant for cultivation or supply offences.
Regulations can now set how prison telephone calls are monitored or recorded; they can also dictate when inmate mail is read, seized, copied, or shared with police.
Legal practitioners and pro bono referral bodies do not have to produce documents or information received during pro bono legal service applications to a court or tribunal.
Offenders must attend the Parole Authority when called on via an approved notice.
Courts are presumed to have dispensed with bail if a child's matter is referred to a Young Offenders Act conference.
The Commissioner can refuse or restrict a security industry licence if the applicant was found guilty of a serious assault or other specific crimes in the last 5 years.

Topics

coronial investigations court procedures criminal justice drug court drug offences drug use law enforcement parole prison monitoring prisoner rights pro bono legal services professional licensing public safety youth justice +9 more

News articles and press releases

Justice Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2026

Mr MICHAEL DALEY, Attorney General — 2026-06-23

The bill will introduce miscellaneous amendments to update and clarify laws relating to criminal justice processes with respect to children and young people; improve laws relating to bail procedures; [and] update and clarify court powers, appeal processes and related procedural matters; [and] update and clarify law enforcement powers, evidentiary rules, criminal offences and associated penalties; improve access to information, privacy settings and other administrative arrangements; support the recent change of title of a judicial officer presiding in the Local Court of New South Wales from "magistrate" to "judge"; clarify regulation-making powers under existing legislation; and clarify the Attorney General’s power to take over the prosecution of certain matters in the Local Court.