NSW Tougher Bail Tests for Young People Committing Offences While on Bail

Crimes Legislation Amendment (Youth Crime) Bill 2025

Opposition Bill

18 Sep 2025: This bill was voted against and will not be discussed further (Defeated).

Legislative Assembly

Legislative Council

Assent

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Topics

bail conditions electronic monitoring juvenile crime victim impact statements youth justice

Introduced by: Alister Henskens MP (LIB)

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Official page: bill text and explanatory notes

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

Bail authorities must not grant bail to young people who commit a relevant offence while already on bail; they must have high confidence the person won't commit a serious crime.
Bail for these young people must include a curfew from 8pm to 6am; they must also be electronically monitored.
Bail is automatically revoked if the young person breaks conditions, faces new charges, or messes with their monitoring device.
Bail authorities cannot grant bail again after a revocation; they can only do so for trivial failures or exceptional circumstances.
Bail authorities must be sure electronic monitoring is supported by stable housing, phone access, and parent support before granting bail.
Courts must consider detaining a young person until their monitoring device is fitted.
Courts can consider victim impact statements when sentencing young people for a second or subsequent relevant offence.

The Debate

What different members said when this bill was debated:

Alister Henskens LIB

“The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Youth Crime) Bill 2025 is incredibly important to regional New South Wales. I thank members for their contributions. The member for Northern Tablelands gave a very comprehensive refutation of the second reading debate contributions that were made on behalf of the Government. I commend the bill to the House.”

Official source →

News articles and press releases

Crimes Legislation Amendment (Youth Crime) Bill 2025

Mr ALISTER HENSKENS, Member for Wahroonga — 2025-03-28

The Opposition is introducing a bill, which any reasonable government would support, to reform further bail and sentencing of serious repeat offending young people between the ages of 14 and 18, which it is hoped will strongly deter them from committing future crimes. In doing so, the Opposition is motivated by the need for results and not ideology. The soft approach has failed all over our State, but especially in places like Moree, Kempsey, Grafton, Casino, Coffs Harbour, Griffith, Goulburn, Albury and Dubbo. A stronger approach to actually benefit these young people as well as the community is needed. In addition to a different bail test, there is a need for clear laws that will prevent these repeat serious offenders from reoffending if a court determines that they should not be held on remand pending their trial and should be given bail. This bill will do that.