TODAY, Advocacy Australia welcomed the announcement by the NSW Government that it would honour the Justice for Biddy Porter E Petition by formally announcing an inquiry into the forensic division of the NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal, 597 days after Independent Member for Orange, Philip Donato MP presented the E petition for debate in New South Wales Parliament.
As part ofAdvocacy Australia’s Justice for Biddy Porter campaign, thanks to the support of Mr Donato, the Justice for Biddy Porter e-petition called for a coronial inquest into the circumstances surrounding Brigette “Biddy” Porters death and Parliamentary Inquiries including into the Mental Health Review Tribunal’s (MHRT) lack of transparency and accountability in its dealings with victims of heinous crimes when attending 6-monthly tribunal hearings.
Clare Collins, Chair of Advocacy Australia said, “The MHRT have operated autonomously behind tightly closed doors for far too long whereby the victims and families of killers under the authority of the tribunal have frequently said they’ve been made to feel more like criminals than the victims of heinous crimes.
Over 20,000 people from across NSW and 1500 outside NSW, signed our NSW Government E petition, addition their voices to ours and Mr Donato’s calling for the Minns Government to meet community expectations and hold an inquiry into the operations of the MHRT.
“The chasm of inequity between the rights of victims of murderous crimes and the perpetrators is vast so in what is a first for NSW, we hope this inquiry into the MHRT will be a significant benchmark in creating essential change that helps all victims of serious crimes including Biddy’s loved ones,” she said.
Mr Philip Donato, Independent Member for Orange said, “On 27 March 2026, I formally called for an inquiry into the MHRT following a series of deeply concerning incidents involving forensic patients in the community and ongoing concerns about the treatment of victims including Biddy’s loved ones,” Mr Donato said.
“I am pleased that the Law and Safety Committee has now agreed to my request, ensuring these important matters will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny reflecting the sustained advocacy to ensure the concerns of victims, families and the wider community are properly heard and examined.
“The inquiry will provide an opportunity to assess whether the current system is meeting community expectations and delivering an appropriate balance between the interests of forensic patients and registered victims.
“It is essential that any shortcomings are identified and addressed so that the MHRT and other relevant agencies can improve service delivery, transparency, strengthen community safety and ensure victims’ needs and concerns receive fair and comprehensive consideration,” said Mr Donato.
All interested stakeholders are encouraged to make a submission and contribute to this important review before submissions close on 6 July 2026.
For more information please visit Inquiry into the forensic division of the NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal
The Coronial Inquest into Bridgette “Biddy” Porters death is from 15-19 June 2026 at the NSW Coroners Court.
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HASHTAGS
#Justice4BiddyPorter #Justice4Biddy #JusticeForBiddy #Petition #NSWDPP #VictimsOfCrime #MHRT
INTERVIEW REQUESTS
- Phil Donato MP: Mr Brett Cooke – E: Brett.Cooke@parliament.nsw.gov.au M: 0439 210 396
- Clare Collins: Advocacy Australia – E:media@advocacyaustralia.org.au M: 0414 821 957
