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Reginal Arthurell, infamously known for his violent past, was convicted of the 1995 murder of his fiancée, Venet Mulhall, in Coonabarabran. This crime occurred while he was on parole.
Arthurell’s criminal history is lengthy, including the killing of his stepfather in the 1970s and a sailor in the 1980s. Despite this, he was released on parole in 2020.
In a discussion on 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live, concerns were raised by Washington regarding the Department of Communities and Justice’s (DCJ) handling of a decision to permit children to live with Arthurell. This decision first came to light late last year.
Washington revealed that the case was closed prematurely, relying on unverified claims about Arthurell’s condition, such as his age, his use of a wheelchair, and the presence of a full-time caregiver.
She criticized the lack of proper investigation, highlighting that this oversight was contrary to the department’s established policies and procedures.
“It just wasn’t investigated, and that was contrary to policies and procedures in the department.”
She said the decision was made by one individual within the department, who has now been suspended pending a misconduct process.
There was a second instance of the department being made aware of a child entering the house where Arthurell last month, where Washington admitted the previous report from the December incident was not followed up.
“A simple check of DCJ’s system would have revealed that Arthurell was in that house. Instead, approval was given, and again, it was against department policies and procedures,” she said.
“A simple check on our system would have shown that report from December.”
Washington said the person responsible for that decision had also been suspended.
While she admitted the decisions made fell short of the standards expected and of the DCJ’s policies and procedures, she insisted it was not the result of institutional issues, and defended the work of her department overall.
“They are working in very difficult, complex environments,” she said.
“Our DCJ child protection caseworkers see the worst of the worst in our society. They walk into homes where parents are harming their children.
“There are difficult decisions made daily by our caseworkers, but we do expect them to follow department policies and procedures.”
Arthurell is no longer living with the children.
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