Our board members:

  • contribute to our oversight of the post sentence scheme 

  • drive improvement of the quality and consistency of decision making 

  • support our work by engaging with criminal justice system agencies.

Full time members

Carmel Arthur OAM

Appointed February 2018

Carmel has a diverse background and extensive experience in strategic planning, integrated service delivery, and systems thinking in both the public and private sector. She has vast experience in the criminal justice system which has included working with the Courts, Corrections Victoria and Victoria Police. Carmel has great personal insight and a unique comprehension of the operation of the criminal justice system. She is not only a victim of crime but has also worked with many victims of crime and brings a wide perspective and breadth of experience from across the victim support system.

She advocates for better treatment of victims and their families through the criminal justice systems, and is particularly conscious of the need to keep the community engaged and informed about the justice system. She is also committed to finding the balance between delivering a safer community and supporting the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders through the use of effective and evidence based means by ensuring offenders take responsibility for their own risk reduction, through building the necessary human and social capital required to live a meaningful life in the community. Carmel is a founding member of the Sentencing Advisory Council, is on the Board of the Penington Institute and held the role of community member on the Adult Parole Board for nine years before her term expired in 2017.

Carmel was recognized for her services to the law, having been conferred with an Order of Australia Medal in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Carmel is the Chair of the Authority’s Strategy and Engagement Subcommittee.

 

Dr David Curnow

Appointed October 2020

Dr Curnow is a forensic psychologist with over 20 years’ experience in the criminal justice system. Dr Curnow practiced as a psychologist in Victorian correctional facilities for 13 years, and practiced privately where he provided training and supervision to psychologists, and developed specialist training programs on violence treatment, white collar crime, and forensic interviewing.  He is also a Clinical associate with Swinburne University.

In 2014, Dr Curnow joined the Adult Parole Board as a full-time member where he sat regularly on the Detention and Supervision Order Division until its functions were absorbed by the Post Sentence Authority. Whilst a member of the Adult Parole Board, Dr Curnow built a detailed understanding of the post sentence scheme and he contributed to the Harper Review, which made the recommendations that led to the establishment of the Post Sentence Authority.

Katherine Byrne

Appointed March 2021 (sessional member) and July 2024 Full Time Member

Kate began her diverse career in court administration before being admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2001. Kate initially practised family law and child protection with Victoria Legal Aid and then moved into a Legal Officer role within Child Protection in the then Department of Human Services.

In 2011, Kate joined the Department of Justice and Community Safety as the General Manager of Community Services in the Loddon Mallee region, where she was responsible for leading crime prevention, victim services, consumer affairs, and sheriff operations. Thereafter, Kate led a team of clinicians delivering offending behaviour programs to clients in prisons and the community.

In 2017, Kate joined the Department of Justice NSW as the Director of Community Corrections (Sydney South West), where she managed a large number of community corrections staff and oversaw the supervision of offenders subject to Extended Supervision Orders accommodated in residential facilities.

As Chief Operating Officer for Access Australia Group in Bendigo in 2019, Kate led a team of staff and volunteers working to enhance training and employment opportunities for people with disability before moving into a Chief Operating Officer role at ARC Justice in Loddon Mallee in 2022, leading teams of people achieving positive social change across a wide regional area.

Sessional members

Meghan Butterfield

Appointed March 2021

Meghan was admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1997.  Since becoming a lawyer, Meghan’s primary area of practice has been in acting for survivors of sexual assault. She has also practised in several other areas, including criminal law, general personal injuries and asbestos litigation.

In 2000, she joined the Springvale-Monash Legal Service (SMLS) where she managed the SMLS/ South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault (SECASA) Joint Legal Service – a specialist sexual assault clinic. Meghan was also an adjunct lecturer at Monash University Law Faculty, where she trained and supervised law students and junior lawyers in clinical practice. With a strong commitment to the education of law students and representing victims, Meghan authored the chapter on victims’ rights in the ‘Lawyers Practice Manual’ for 14 years.

In 2018, Meghan was appointed as a legal member on the Victorian Mental Health Tribunal where she has gained significant experience as a member of the Tribunal that is required to navigate difficult questions under a complex legal framework. 

Meghan has recently undertaken her Master of Laws, focusing on human rights and health law. 

Christopher O'Neill

Appointed April 2022

Chris was admitted to practice as a lawyer in 1979. After 12 years working as a solicitor in general practice, he joined the Victorian Bar in 1991 where he practised in common law, including personal injuries, medical negligence, professional disciplinary tribunals, and Coronial inquests.

He was appointed a Judge of the County Court in 2007 and sat in both the common law and criminal jurisdictions. He was Judge in Charge of the Common Law Division from 2015 to 2018.

Significantly, Chris was Judge in Charge of the Appeals and Post Sentence Applications (APSA) List of the Court from 2019 to 2021. In this role, he led the Court’s work relating to post sentence orders.

Chris retired from the County Court at the end of 2021.

Outside his decision-making, Chris has had a strong and long interest in legal training. He has lectured at the Victorian Bar Readers’ Course, taught judgment writing within the County Court and through the Judicial College of Victoria, and taught advocacy in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. This demonstrates his commitment to sharing his knowledge and assisting others.

Dr Karen Gelb

Appointed October 2023

Dr Gelb is a Consultant Criminologist who has spent more than 20 years researching Australian criminal justice systems. She has published extensively on a range of issues, including sex offending, family violence, specialist courts, public opinion on sentencing, bail and remand, and youth justice.

Dr Gelb has written on ‘what works’ to prevent reoffending and the effectiveness of different sentencing options. This includes contributions to evaluations in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT of family violence courts, drug and alcohol courts, and reintegration programs following release from prison.

Prior to starting her consulting business, Dr Gelb spent eight years with the Sentencing Advisory Council leading the organisation’s public opinion research, and five years with the National Centre for Crime and Justice Statistics.

In addition to consulting, Dr Gelb lectures at the Melbourne University Department of Criminology. She is also a Board Director for Court Network, and the Manager of Research and Workforce Development at Penington Institute, where she writes about drug policy and harm reduction. 

Stephanie McCaughey

Appointed October 2023

Stephanie McCaughey has a diverse background in the areas of criminology and victimology. She is a doctoral candidate and a graduate of The University of Melbourne.

Stephanie brings a victim rights and safeguarding perspective as CEO of a not-for-profit organisation supporting victim-survivors in disclosing institutional abuse. She previously acted as Executive Officer in developing the 3 Step model, providing therapeutic support, independent investigations, safeguarding, and resolution of their complaint. She also acts as Director of an organisation which provides psycho-social support services to victim-survivors of abuse. She is committed to care coordination frameworks and policies underpinned by a person-centred and trauma-informed approach.

Prior to working in victim-centred practice, Stephanie’s background includes in the Department of Justice and Community Safety where she was an inaugural Principal Practitioner, overseeing specialist case managers in Community Correctional Services. Her commitment to safeguarding communities and the most vulnerable is underpinned by evidence-based practice in offender management principles.

Stephanie is a Board Director of a public health service, and a Member of the Australian Government Classification Review Board. She is a Board Trustee of Safe Sport International and a member of safeguarding groups across the Asia Pacific Region.