The Tasmanian Government’s Bill to amend the Expungement of Historical Offences Act 2017 has passed the House of Assembly.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Guy Barnett, said these amendments are now a step closer to providing better support to affected persons and to clarifying the law in relation to expungement of relevant and appropriate historical convictions.
“This is a symbolic day, a step-forward in our efforts to make right something which had a profound impact on a number of Tasmanians and their families,” the Attorney-General said.
“I wish to once again thank Ms Melanie Bartlett and Ms Taya Ketelaar-Jones for their efforts in 2020, following their independent review.
“We are expanding the scheme to provide that related offences are also eligible for expungement, further supporting a victim-centred approach to investigations, improving measures to support effective record disposal and confidentiality of records for all parties, including specifically exempting applications, investigation material and determinations from the Right to Information Act 2009.
“The Expungement of Historical Offences Act 2017 provides a scheme to enable charges and convictions for historical offences to be expunged.
“It also allows a person charged with a historical offence to make a confidential application to the Secretary of the Department of Justice to have a relevant charge or conviction removed from their criminal record.
“I am incredibly proud of contemporary Tasmania and who we are today, and as we continue to deliver our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, I want to see it continue to succeed.”
