September 19, 2026
Parole decisions to be reviewed for AI use: document contained fabricated citations
On 19 September 2026, Tasmania's Department of Justice confirmed it was reviewing past parole board decisions for the use of AI and its effect on outcomes. On 15 September, the Supreme Court found unlawful a condition imposed on Susan Neill-Fraser that was based on a document citing non-existent case law.
In August 2026, lawyers discovered fabricated case citations in a document that board secretary Ben Hancock had prepared with AI. The court has now found the condition unlawful because of a breach of procedural fairness, legal unreasonableness and uncertainty, while the department will review past decisions. For practitioners, this is another limit on AI in legal work: every citation in such a document must be checked before it is used in a decision.
Prisoners Legal Service Tasmania is already reviewing two years of parole board decisions for signs of AI use and errors.
