NSW has followed suit behind other states, passing ‘No Body, No Parole’ laws in the hope of stoking assistance from offenders to locate the remains of their victims. 

The laws that passed this week will mean that offenders who refuse to cooperate in revealing the location of remains of their victims will not be granted parole. 

The law was put on the agenda late last month following the high profile Chris Dawson trial - made famous by the podcast The Teacher’s Pet - who was convicted for the alleged murder of his wife 40 years after she went missing. 

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the reforms place the rights and needs of victims’ families at the centre. 

“Families deserve the dignity of saying their final goodbyes and we must do all we can to demand offenders give up their secrets and bring some closure to families and friends of victims,” Mr Perrottet said. 

Under the new laws, the State Parole Authority (SPA) must have written advice from the Commissioner of the NSW Police when determining whether an offender has cooperated satisfactorily to identify a victim’s location. 

The laws will apply to all current and future offenders in order to include convicted offenders not yet considered for parole, potentially prompting them to begin assisting police with their investigations. 

Minister for Police Paul Toole said he is hopeful that the incentive to assist will help locate the remains of bodies that have been missing for years. 

“The families of victims deserve the chance to lay to rest their loved one in an appropriate way, especially given the pain and heartache they have already endured,” Mr Toole said. 

The Missing Persons Advocacy Network (MPAN) welcomed the changes. 

“We know through our work with families in situations like these, that a conviction is only the first component of achieving justice…the torment of ambiguous loss continues to plague those left behind until their missing loved one is found,” MPAN commented in a statement. 

The new laws have been modelled on similar laws in other states including Victoria and Queensland.