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Disgraced former politician Milton Orkopoulos has testified he will "measure my freedom by the minute" in his bid to have his parole reinstated.
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The former NSW Labor minister on Thursday applied to have the revocation of his parole rescinded by the state parole authority.
He was released from jail in December 2019, but his parole was revoked two months later after his arrest over unapproved phone use.
He was jailed in 2008 for 13 years and eight months for sexually abusing a boy and drug offences.
In December, he was placed on a two-year community corrections order over the failure to comply with his reporting obligations as a sex offender which involved phone use and creation of an Instagram page.
His lawyer Omar Juweinat told Thursday's hearing that his client last year was charged with historical offences, pre-dating the granting of parole.
Mr Juweinat said he wasn't submitting his client was someone "who should be recognised as Australian of the Year". But Orkopoulos was not refused bail on the charges and an administrative error must have led to the paperwork before the authority stating he had been.
Orkopoulos, wearing prison greens, gave evidence via AVL from prison explaining the reporting obligations offences.
He apologised for his "errant disregard" of the rules, also noting the magistrate found they were at the "lower end of seriousness" for such charges.
"They unfortunately bought me a further 12 months in jail after serving 14 years," he said.
He "solemnly" undertook to measure his freedom by the minute in future and obey the law.
The authority declined to rescind the revocation but said it would consider the case at a private meeting on April 16.
- Australian Associated Press
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