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Vic Bar declares stance on spent convictions legislation
The Victorian Bar has responded to recent parliamentary debate concerning the adoption of legislation around spent convictions in the state.
Emma Musgrave
Calls for the adoption and implementation of legislation around spent convictions has made headlines in parliament recently, with Reason Party MP Fiona Patten introducing a Spent Convictions Bill last week.
Releasing its position on the matter earlier this week, the Victorian Bar said it welcomes the parliamentary debate occurring on the Spent Convictions Bill.
All other Australian jurisdictions have laws that provide for the expungement of certain offences from an individual’s record where the individual has not re-offended, the Vic Bar explained.
“Under current Victorian law, many people who have been found guilty of minor or low-level crimes, whether convicted or not, find themselves limited in their attempts to gain employment and participate fully in our society because their offending appears on their criminal record, even where it occurred long ago and the individual has not re-offended," it said.
Commenting further, Vic Bar president Dr Matt Collins QC stressed the importance of such legislation.
“Spent convictions legislation is an important element of criminal justice reform," he said.
“Spent convictions legislation would provide an incentive for good behaviour by past offenders, allowing them to clear their names and increase their opportunities to find work and contribute to our society.”
Emma Musgrave
Emma Musgrave (née Ryan) is the managing editor, professional services at Momentum Media.
Emma has worked for Momentum Media since 2015, including five years spent as the editor of the company's legal brand - Lawyers Weekly. Throughout her time at Momentum, she has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest stories in corporate Australia. In addition, she has produced exclusive multimedia and event content related to the company's respective brands and audiences.
Prior to joining Momentum Media, Emma worked in breakfast radio, delivering news to the Central West region of NSW, before taking on a radio journalist role at Southern Cross Austereo, based in Townsville, North Queensland.
She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree from Charles Sturt University.
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