Vic parole reforms focus on public safety THE balance has tilted against violent Victorian offenders who were found to have been getting out of prison far too easily. The state government is overhauling the parole system to make it the "toughest" in the country after a review said Adult Parole Board processes did not give enough prominence to public safety. Premier Denis Napthine said the Adult Parole Board spends an inordinate amount of time dealing with existing prisoners rather than allowing them to apply for parole in their own time. "Those resources should be better spent with more people on the ground supervising parolees," he said. The scathing report by former High Court justice Ian Callinan found the board exposed the community to higher risk because its decisions were tilted in favour of offenders, not victims. After its release on Tuesday, Dr Napthine said immediate action would be taken with community safety as its top priority. "We recognise the very real need to fix the parole system in Victoria," Dr Napthine said. We've introduced laws that make the Victorian parole system the toughest in Australia. Mr Callinan said he was surprised the under-resourced department sent staff to the prisons to tell offenders when their non-parole period was due to expire. "It helps to create the impression that release is an entitlement rather than a privilege," Mr Callinan said. Dr Napthine said the culture of parole had to change. The government immediately enacted seven of 23 recommendations in the review, adding to the work it has already done, which includes introducing legislation to make breaching parole a criminal offence. The board also said it was ready to change. But critics have said more needs to be done. Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews called for more funding - a matter the premier would not be drawn on - saying "many, many millions of dollars" has to be pumped into the system to implement the recommendations. "Various elements of our public sector are compromised in responding to these sort of recommendations, given the slash and burn cutbacks we've seen in justice, in Corrections Victoria, in Victoria Police, particularly," he said.