The presumption for or against bail will be abolished in NSW and replaced with a new risk assessment system, under the first major overhaul of the Bail Act in 34 years.
Under changes to be introduced into parliament next year, police, magistrates and judges will be asked to decide if the accused poses a risk to safety, of committing an offence, interfering with a witness or failing to appear in court when considering bail.
Legal group the Public Interest Advocacy Centre said the reforms were “common-sense”, and would make bail laws “fairer, more consistent and better suited to the whole community”.