How far back does a police check go in Australia?

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Australian National Character Check (ANCC) makes every effort to provide updated and accurate information to its customers. However due to the continuously changing nature of legislations for the Commonwealth and various States and Territories, it is inevitable that some information may not be up to date. The information on the website is general information only. The contents on the website do not constitute legal or professional advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal or professional advice. While we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, suitability, accuracy or availability with respect to the information.

It is harder for a conviction to escape being listed on a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check result, except where special State legislation applies. In most circumstances, police check reports return complete with a comprehensive list of all the pending charges, court convictions, finding of guilt and sentencing of the applicant.

What does a police check result contain?

A result contains all finding of guilt, sentencing and other convictions of an individual. This report is unlimited by the State/Territory where the offence or when the crime is committed. Therefore, a criminal check result can go as far back as possible as long as the individual is found guilty of the offence.

Furthermore, other conditions can make older convictions reflect on your police history check result. Some of them are;

• The purpose of the police check is for Child/vulnerable roles;

Where the person is applying for a role in the sectors considered to be "sensitive" positions in Australia, certain offences relating to the role will be released on the check.

A candidate applying for a role in the financial sector will have convictions of theft, misappropriation or conspiracy displayed on their check if it is in their police/criminal records.

Other roles that will prompt certain convictions to be released on a police check result are;

• ✔ Teachers
• ✔ School bus drivers
• ✔ Nanny
• ✔ Child Doctors and other health services
• ✔ Other Child and vulnerable workers


• A repeat of such offences;

Any applicant thinking there cannot be a re-feature of a conviction on their criminal background check result is wrong. Older convictions are generally released in an applicant's background check result if the applicant repeats such an offence.

There is no limit to how many times an offence is displayed in a check. It will report an updated list of all the applicant's convictions deemed releasable by the State and Police authorities.

How do I know the convictions on my police history check?

You cannot be sure of the convictions on your record without obtaining it. The surest way of planning with your criminal records in consideration is by applying for a background check. However, applying is not as hard as it seems.

Are police checks issued by the Police authorities? Yes, they are issued by a central government database and in some instances are vetted by state and territory police agencies if referred for manual processing.

Must you visit a local Police branch to obtain it? No

A convenient method to obtain a criminal check is; applying for a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check online via Australian National character Check (ANCC).

The process is 100% online and takes less than 12 minutes to complete from anywhere as long as there is an internet connection.

Applicants who go via the online method get their result delivered to their email mostly within 24 hours unless the check gets referred for manual processing by the central government database.

What convictions should I except on my police check normally?

Convictions that will generally always show up on a police check result, include:

• Convictions/Charges against corporate organisations
• Sexually related offences
• Traffic charges on the background check
• All Sentences and Convictions
• Pending court charges and offences

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