The State Parole Authority had been due on Tuesday to consider the fifth application by Douglas James Wade, 55, for parole after being found guilty of murdering a 22-month-old girl at Tumut in 1988.

NSW State Parole Authority chairman James Wood ordered that the hearing be stood over until January 22. 

The solicitor representing the victim’s family, Howard Brown, said the hearing had been delayed due to concerns about the ability to monitor Wade if he was granted parole.

“We fully expected the matter to be dealt with (on Tuesday). We turned up only to be advised the parole authority now has some concerns about the proposed address for Mr Wade if he were to be released to parole,” Mr Brown said.

“They decided they needed to experiment to see if they could electronically monitor him at the property at Tumut.

“They don’t have any information as to whether the electronic trackers will work there … in that rural setting there is the very high probability of the range of the electronic tagging not working.”

A NSW Corrective Services spokeswoman declined to comment in response to Mr Brown’s claims.

Mr Brown said the process of fighting Wade’s bid for parole had been “devastating” for the victim’s family.

“Knowing that there was a possibility for the offender to be released has been very emotional for them,” he said.

“They now have to go through Christmas facing this level of uncertainty.”

NSW Corrections Minister David Elliott has said he would consider legal options to prevent Wade’s release.

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