The effect of a pardon means Kathleen will not have to serve the rest of her sentence but her lawyers won’t stop there.
They are now looking into the next steps to clear the still-grieving mother’s name of murder charges, and pursuing compensation.
It’s believed she could claim millions in damages.
But before all that, Kathleen is excited about some simple pleasures; things she’s not experienced during her 20-year incarceration.
“I told her the other day I’d been so busy I’d spent the day in my PJs, and she asked if we could have a day like that too,” Tracy adds.
“In 20 years, she’s never been able to have a PJ day.”
Tracy, who's been there for her childhood friend over the last 20 years, was moved to tears at the news of her release, before an emotional reunion upon Kathleen’s arrival to the farm.
“She’s been through so much trauma and suffered her whole life. She’s never even been able to properly grieve for her babies. It’s going to take years of work, not just five minutes,” Tracy, 55, tells New Idea exclusively.
“She’s going to need a huge amount of support.”
Close friend of Kathleen, Karren Hall, was among the women who rushed to visit her at Tracy’s farm last week.
Ahead of the trip, she told New Idea: “I am ecstatic. I’ve finally stopped crying and I am starting to wind down. I am disappointed it has taken so long but absolutely so happy it’s happened at last. We have been working on this for such a long time.”
“We will be celebrating.”
After decades behind bars, there are hundreds of practicalities to take care of too; things like getting a driver’s license.
“She has to lay the foundations for a new life,” Tracy says.
And once she’s settled, Kathleen and her team have their sights set on something bigger.
“We want to make sure the system is looking at other cases. There are other people wrongfully in jail and we will fight for a Criminal Cases Review Commission, where cases are looked at impartially. The UK has one, New Zealand has one; it’s something we see as incredibly important here in Australia,” Tracy says.
But for now, it’s a case of putting one foot in front of the other and getting through what the coming weeks have in store.
“Kath will hold her head up high and say, “I told you I didn’t do this,” Tracy says.
“Finally she’s been vindicated.”