Establishment and Functions
The Sentencing Advisory Council is an independent statutory body established under amendments to the Sentencing Act 1991.
In 2000, the Victorian Government requested a review of aspects of Victoria's sentencing laws. This was in response to concerns that the sentencing process was in need of reform.
The review was undertaken by Professor Arie Freiberg. His report, Pathways to Justice, recommended a number of improvements to the sentencing system, including the establishment of a Sentencing Advisory Council.
The review found general support for the creation of an organisation that would:
- conduct research on sentencing policy
- collect and analyse statistical data
- provide current sentencing information to the government, judiciary, and the public
- provide feedback on the effectiveness of sanctions imposed on offenders.
The Victorian Government accepted the need for properly informed public opinion to be incorporated into the sentencing process and the recommendation for a Sentencing Advisory Council to be created. The Council was subsequently established in 2004.
The Council is not the first of its kind. Other similar organisations have been established in England, Scotland, New South Wales, and Tasmania.
Functions of the Council
The Council's mission is to bridge the gap between the community, the courts and government by informing, educating, and advising on sentencing issues.
Section 108C of the Sentencing Act 1991 provides that the functions of the Council are to:
- provide statistical information on sentencing, including information on current sentencing practices to members of the judiciary and other interested persons
- conduct research and disseminate information to members of the judiciary and other interested persons on sentencing matters
- gauge public opinion on sentencing
- consult on sentencing matters with government departments and other interested persons and bodies as well as the general public
- advise the Attorney-General on sentencing issues
- provide the Court of Appeal with the Council's written views on the giving, or review, of a guideline judgment.
In addition to establishing the Council, the government also amended the Sentencing Act 1991 to allow the Court of Appeal to deliver guideline judgments.
The Council is an advisory body rather than a review body. The Council cannot review sentencing outcomes in individual cases. This is the role of the appellate courts on application from either the defendant or the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Council Directors
Sentencing Advisory Council Directors come from a broad spectrum of professional and community backgrounds and represent a range of perspectives. Under section 108F of the Sentencing Act 1991, between eleven and fourteen Council members must be appointed under eight profile areas.
Associate Professor Natalia Antolak-Saper
Natalia teaches criminal law in the Faculty of Law at Monash University, specialising in comparative criminal law and criminal procedure. Her research focuses on sentencing, gender-based violence and access to justice, particularly for unrepresented accused. Natalia was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to examine international approaches to supporting self-represented accused in criminal proceedings. She is widely recognised for her ability to transform complex research into law reform outcomes, and she regularly contributes to government inquiries and law reform processes.
Kate Bundrock
Kate is the Executive Director, Criminal Law at Victoria Legal Aid (VLA). Kate has over 20 years' experience working in the legal assistance sector and criminal legal system. Kate is committed to access to justice and client-centred legal service design and has led significant service transformation projects at VLA, including the establishment of the Help Before Court service, changes to VLA's 'bail' and 'not guilty' guidelines, and improvements to services provided to people facing remand.
Fiona Dowsley
Fiona Dowsley has over a decade of experience in building the evidence base in crime and justice to support improved research and decision-making. She spent two years as Director of the National Centre for Crime and Justice Statistics at the Australian Bureau of Statistics and has collaborated in the international sphere, such as with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Task Force, to develop an international classification of crime. In January 2014, she was appointed as the founding Chief Statistician of the Crime Statistics Agency in Victoria.
David Glynn
David was admitted to practice as a lawyer in 1992 and thereafter worked as a solicitor in private practice and at Victoria Legal Aid. David became a barrister in 2001. Throughout his legal career he has practiced exclusively in criminal law, appearing for both defence and prosecution. In 2019 David was appointed a Crown Prosecutor for the State of Victoria, a position he still holds.
Laura Heffes
Laura is the Director of Policy and Strategic Advocacy at the Law and Advocacy Centre for Women (LACW) and an accredited specialist in criminal law. Her work focuses on harnessing the experience of LACW’s clients to drive systemic change, including by improving the gender-responsiveness of the criminal justice system. Prior to joining LACW in 2024, Laura was a principal solicitor in the Policy and Specialised Legal Division of the Office of Public Prosecutions. Her previous roles in the legal assistance and community legal sectors include Managing Lawyer of Victoria Legal Aid’s Indictable Crime Team and Senior Solicitor-Advocate at Justice Connect Homeless Law and the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.
Jenny Hosking
Jenny brings extensive senior executive experience across corrections policy and operations, with a strong focus on evidence-based correctional practice, community safety and system integrity. She is Deputy Commissioner, Sentence Management Division at Corrections Victoria. She has led complex portfolios including areas intersecting with terrorism and high-risk offender management and is recognised for her strategic leadership during periods of significant system reform.
Dr Jana Katerinskaja
Jana works as a human rights lawyer and independent investigator. She is an advocate for family and sexual violence victim-survivors, and is a leader in police accountability reform. Jana is a founding member of the Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Commission's Lived Experience Advisory Council, was a member of the Commonwealth DFSV Commissioner's Guiding Group, and a member of Safe and Equal's Expert Advisory Panel. Jana has lived experience of the criminal justice system, both as a victim of crime and as someone who works with victims of crime.
Elizabeth Langdon
Elizabeth is the Victorian Victims of Crime Commissioner, advocating for victims' rights in the justice system and ensuring compliance with the Victims Charter. She has over 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors, including at the United Nations, the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and Harvard University. She has led executive teams in health, human services and justice portfolios, including as Acting Health Complaints Commissioner, Deputy Public Sector Commissioner, CEO of the Victorian Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence (Crown Melbourne Limited) and Deputy Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet. She has been recognised as an IPAA Victoria Top 50 Women award recipient and is an ANZSOG Fellow.
Emeritus Professor Bronwyn Naylor
Bronwyn Naylor is a legal academic who has taught and published extensively on criminal law and criminal justice, and on human rights and the monitoring of places of detention. She has qualifications in Law (Monash University) and Criminology (Cambridge University), and has been an academic at Monash and RMIT Universities for over three decades. She was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2022 for service to tertiary education and the law. Bronwyn was appointed Emeritus Professor at RMIT University in 2023.
Wendy Steendam
Wendy has performed significant senior executive roles across Victoria Police and until recently was Deputy Commissioner Specialist Operations with portfolio responsibility for Road Policing Command, Family Violence Command, Forensic Services Department, and Legal Services Department. A highly respected police leader with over 40 years' experience, Wendy has developed strong and effective relationships across government, law enforcement agencies, corporate entities and a range of community agencies. She has contributed as a member of many boards of management, both within policing and more broadly across the community sector. She is also currently a board member of the Coronial Council of Victoria. Wendy became a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Australia Day Honours, for significant service to the community through emergency response organisations.
Dr Danny Sullivan
Danny is a consultant forensic and adult psychiatrist, who works in the public mental health sector and is an experienced expert witness. Danny trained in psychiatry in England and Australia and also holds Masters degrees in Bioethics (Monash), Health and Medical Law (Melbourne), and Management (McGill). He has held senior management roles including as Executive Director of Clinical Services for Forensicare (the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health) and as Board Director at ACSO. He has extensive clinical experience working in prisons and community and inpatient forensic mental health services in England and Australia over the last 25 years. He holds academic posts as Adjunct Associate Professor (Swinburne University) and Honorary Senior Fellow (University of Melbourne).
Nathan Watt
Sergeant Nathan Watt joined Victoria Police soon after he was admitted to practice as a lawyer. He has been a serving member for 17 years, working the last 12 years in the legal services department. He has extensive experience prosecuting matters in the Magistrates Court, and appearing in the Supreme Court for bail-related matters. Nathan has previously trained police prosecutors, and now trains and advises frontline members and senior management of Victoria Police, including advising on matters relating to legislative reform and policy.
Stan Winford
Stan Winford is Director at RMIT University's Centre for Innovative Justice. Stan is a lawyer and researcher who has been engaged to support the deliberations of parliamentary inquiries and Royal Commissions in relation to justice issues. He has previously worked as a prosecutor and defence lawyer in the private, government and community legal sectors.
Council Secretariat
The Council is supported by a secretariat that undertakes the Council's daily work, including research, statistical analysis, community engagement, community education and administrative support.
Current Staff
Paul McGorrery (Chief Executive Officer)
Zsombor Bathy (Senior Data Analyst)
Dennis Byles (Senior Data Analyst)
Melanie Hull (Legal Policy Officer)
Catherine Jeffreys (Senior Publications and Website Officer)
Sarah Lappin (Operations Manager)
Paul Schollum (Manager, Statistical Analysis)
Octavian Simu (Senior Legal Policy Officer)
Kathryn Stary (Senior Education and Engagement Officer)
Felicity Stewart (Principal Legal Policy Officer)
Pallavi-Sarojini Waghmode (Senior Data Analyst)
Ben Wright (Research Assistant)
