The NSW Upper House has established an inquiry into Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Amendment (Good Character Sentencing) Bill 2026.

The bill proposes a number of amendments that were recommended by the Sentencing Council's 'Good character at sentencing' report which was published on February 1, 2026.

According to Committee chair Robert Borsak MLC the bill proposes to implement three primary recommendations from the Sentencing Council including, but not limited to:

+ Abolishing good character as a mitigating factor at sentencing at common law and under statute (recommendation 3.1)

+ Repeating the special rule for child sexual offences in s 21A of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (CSPA), which provides that the good character of an offender is not to be taken into account if the court is satisfied the factor concerned was of assistance to the offender in the commission of the offence (recommendation 6.1).

+ Amending the lists of factors a court must consider before making an order under sections 9 and 10 of the CSPA, to remove consideration of an offender's 'character' (recommendation 6.2).

Mr Borsak said the Committee will hold a hearing on 31 March 2026 and report back to Council by 14 April 2026.

The Committee is made up of chair Robert Borsack MLC, deputy chair Sue Higginson MLC, Greg Donnelly MLC, Stephen Lawrence MLC, Natasha Maclaren-Jones MLC, Cameron Murphy MLC and Damien Tudehope MLC.

The hearing on March 31 will be held in the Preston Stanley Room at Parliament House in Sydney.

The committee is expected to report by April 14, 2026.