Wagner had represented himself before the South Australian Supreme Court to argue that having a possible release date would assist with his mental wellbeing.

Justice Greg Parker on Thursday dismissed the application in a hearing lasting about 10 seconds.

In his ruling, Justice Parker said the bodies-in-the-barrels murders were "the worst crimes ever to be detected in South Australia".

"The 10 murders, when considered in combination, amount to the worst possible type of offending," he said.

"The applicant expressly declined to assert that he was remorseful."

Justice Parker said his lack of contrition was consistent with a previous ruling that he was incapable of rehabilitation.

Since 1999, the 47-year-old has been serving 10 life sentences over the infamous "bodies-in-the-barrels" killing spree.

The ringleader in the murders, John Justin Bunting, is similarly serving life without parole.

SA commissioner for victims' rights Bronwyn Killmier welcomed the ruling.

"The murders were planned and premeditated, involving torture for pleasure, with no mitigating circumstances and no contrition," she said.

"The killing of 10 defenceless people, followed by systematic theft of their money while fooling their families is callous and cowardly."

Wagner's application had also been opposed by prosecutors, who said his crimes were of "unparalleled seriousness".

The serial killings were exposed when police found eight dismembered bodies in acid-filled barrels in the vault of a disused bank at Snowtown, north of Adelaide.

Two more bodies were found buried in a backyard at suburban Salisbury North while detectives later linked two further deaths to Bunting and Wagner.

After a trial lasting 170 days, Bunting was found guilty of 11 murders with Wagner jailed over 10 of the deaths.

Two other men, Mark Ray Haydon and James Spyridon Vlassakis, are also behind bars over the killings; Vlassakis after pleading guilty to four murders and Haydon for helping Wagner and Bunting dispose of the bodies.

Australian Associated Press