Public money that could have been spent on improving Victoria's parole board, or helping victims of domestic violence, has been wasted on a futile appeal by Jill Meagher's killer, her husband and the state opposition say.
Three judges took less than 10 minutes on Thursday to dismiss an appeal bid by Adrian Ernest Bayley to reduce a 35-year non-parole period for the rape and murder of Ms Meagher.
His appeal was conducted by a Victorian Legal Aid (VLA) barrister and funded by the organisation.
Support for the appeal came in a year when a lack of VLA funding has stalled criminal trials and seen some accused people go without legal representation.
The Adult Parole Board, which did not revoke Bayley's parole after he committed an assault prior to Jill Meagher's death, is also underfunded compared to its NSW counterpart.
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Ms Meagher's husband Tom Meagher slammed the decision to fund the appeal.
"What a waste of public money that was," he wrote on Facebook.
"When I had my meeting with the parole board, they complained of receiving only $2.5 million annually, compared to $14 million a year for the NSW parole board.
"Funding that should be channelled into fixing this system is wasted on (Bayley's) legal aid, for an appeal that everybody knew would not stick."
State opposition legal affairs spokesman Martin Pakula said Bayley's appeal was "futile" and came at a time when a woman was forced to confront her violent ex-partner in court because she was refused legal aid.
"I think the decision to fund Adrian Bayley's appeal is an outrageous decision, particularly given all of the very worthy applicants for legal aid who have funding knocked back," he told reporters.
Attorney-General Robert Clark said legal aid needs to be able to justify its decisions.
"I intend to raise this issue with the VLA Board to ensure that VLA's approach to funding appeal cases is clear, fair and in the public interest," he said.
In a statement, VLA managing director Bevan Warner said Victorians should not be surprised that legal aid funds some criminal appeals.
"The fact that an appeal is dismissed does not mean that it was improper or inappropriate to mount the appeal in the first place," he said.
Bayley killed Ms Meagher while still on parole and on bail for an assault.
The Adult Parole Board has admitted it made a mistake in not revoking Bayley's parole after the assault.
A memorial peace march in Melbourne is being held on Sunday at noon to remember Ms Meagher and other women impacted by violence.
