Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Act now effective

In its news release, the justice ministry explained that an offender convicted of a serious violent or sexual offence committed on or after 17 June 2025 will generally: 

• receive a formal warning of the impacts of a repeat offence at the first strike 
• be ineligible for parole at the second strike 
• serve the maximum sentence without parole at the third strike 

On restored regime

According to the justice ministry’s news release, the reinstated three-strikes sentencing law: 

• covers an offender if they commit a qualifying offence and receive a sentence above the qualifying sentence threshold at each stage 
• applies to 42 serious violent or sexual offences, including new crimes such as strangulation and suffocation 
• sets lengthy non-parole periods – 17 years at the second strike, and 20 years at the third strike – for one committing murder after receiving a strike for another qualifying offence 
• offers some judicial discretion for an offender facing mandatory consequences to prevent manifestly unjust outcomes and account for outlier cases 
• gives a limited benefit for guilty pleas to spare victims more trauma and tackle court delays 

“Importantly, previous strike warnings still count if they meet the new sentencing threshold – ensuring serious repeat offenders can’t escape accountability,” McKee said in the government’s news release. 

With the restored regime, offenders can reactivate some warnings received under the prior three-strikes law between 1 June 2010 and 16 August 2022, the justice ministry said in its news release. Such offenders should communicate with their counsel to learn about any reactivated warnings if appearing before the court, the justice ministry added. 

“The Ministry of Justice has published guidance to help affected individuals, and their lawyers check for active strikes,” McKee said in the government’s news release.