Serial killer Reginald Arthurell granted parole after 26 years in prison

Serial killer Reginald Arthurell has been granted parole after 26 years behind bars.

The triple-killer will be released on November 26, with the NSW Parole Authority concluding it was the "only viable option".

The maximum sentence for the murder expires in seven months.

By releasing him on parole, the authority can exercise strict supervision over Arthurell. If he was released after his jail term expired, he would be completely unsupervised.

Arthurell had been on parole when he bludgeoned fiancée Venet Mulhall to death in 1997 in the NSW country town of Coonabarabran.

Arthurell had moved in with Ms Mulhall, who was deeply religious, after he was released on parole in 1991.

She had become his pen pal while he'd been serving time in a Darwin prison.

Arthurell's record includes jail time for two unrelated manslaughters.

In 1974, he spent four and a half years in jail for stabbing his stepfather Tom Thornton.

Arthurell also spent six years inside for the bashing of 19-year-old sailor Ross Browning.

Ms Mulhall's family had pushed for Arthurell to remain behind bars, but their pleas were unsuccessful.

Ms Mulhall's brother Paul Quinn said he had serious concerns for his family's safety because of Arthurell's release.

"It comes back to victim's rights," he told 2GB.

"We have to look over our shoulder for the rest of our lives."

Police Minister David Elliott told Ben Fordham on 2GB this morning he will speak to NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman today.

"In my mind, the judiciary should never have given him the opportunity to get parole. I share the community's disgust," he said.

In a statement, the State Parole Authority (SPA) noted that Arthurell had been refused parole four times since he became eligible in 2015.

The refusal came at the recommendation of the Serious Offenders Review Council, the body tasked with managing criminals like Arthurell.

"Following a public review hearing today and after consideration of all the available evidence, the SPA determined supervision on parole, rather than no supervision at the end of sentence in May 2021, was the better option for the protection of the community," the SPA statement read.

The council advised parole was now appropriate because they considered it "imperative" that Arthurell be supervised "for as long as possible".

He will be housed in "supported accommodation" after his release.

Arthurell will be subject to electronic monitoring and is forbidden from drinking alcohol.

He is not allowed to possess firearms or other prohibited weapons, and is forbidden from contacting, stalking, harassing or intimidating the families of his victims.