Regina Arthurell, a convicted triple killer, was living in a home with two foster children aged 12 and 14 in Western Sydney. Arthurell was removed from the home on Monday after the situation was revealed by 2GB radio. The NSW Department of Communities and Justice was first made aware of the living situation in December but did not rectify it.
NSW Minister for Families and Communities Kate Washington apologized for the situation on 2GB radio on Wednesday morning. Washington said a departmental review is underway to investigate the system failures that allowed Arthurell to live with the children. Michael Tidball, secretary of the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, is overseeing the review and expects most work to be done in the next few days.
I'm not going anywhere.
Arthurell spent 24 years in prison for bludgeoning their fiancée to death in 1996 and had previous convictions for killing their stepfather and a teenage sailor. Arthurell was released on parole in November 2020 after serving a 24-year sentence. Arthurell was arrested in January 2022 on sex crime allegations involving a 55-year-old man.
An extended supervision order on Arthurell lapsed in December 2024, and no new order was sought. The Association of Community Welfare Associations (Acwa) supports an independent review into the situation. Imogen Edeson, CEO of the Create Foundation, called for an independent review by an external authority.
This situation was entirely unacceptable, and it's important that I front up and apologise for what has happened. Vulnerable children in the care of the state should not be living with a triple [killer].
NSW Greens families and communities spokesperson Sue Higginson called for an independent review, stating the department should not investigate itself. In response to calls for an independent review, Washington said she is 'not going anywhere'. Arthurell began sharing the home after being invited by an elderly woman they met at Westmead Hospital.
The woman's daughter alerted 2GB on Monday due to safety concerns for her mother and the children. Arthurell was forced to move out of a Yagoona retirement home five years ago after the community learned of their identity. According to sources, Arthurell is transgender and goes by Regina after transitioning in 2020.