--- title: What are Disclosable Court Outcomes (DCOs)? description: "When you apply for a national police check, your result will show one of two outcomes: DCO **Disclosable Court Outcomes** — disclosable criminal history is present on your record. NDCO **No Disclosable Court Outcomes** — no disclosable criminal history. A…" url: "https://workerchecks.com/docs/what-are-disclosable-court-outcomes-dcos/" updated: "2026-08-28" category: Understanding your Check --- # What are Disclosable Court Outcomes (DCOs)? When you apply for a national police check, your result will show one of two outcomes: DCO **Disclosable Court Outcomes** — disclosable criminal history is present on your record. NDCO **No Disclosable Court Outcomes** — no disclosable criminal history. A clear result. ## What appears in Disclosable Court Outcomes? Your police check may include: - **Convictions** — court findings where you were found guilty and convicted - **Findings of guilt without conviction** — where the court found you guilty but did not record a conviction (e.g. Section 19B Commonwealth, Section 10 NSW) - **Pending charges** — matters currently before the courts - **Traffic convictions** — driving offences convicted in court (not infringement notices) - **Sexual offences** — all sexual offence convictions - **Serious assault offences** — violent offence convictions - **Other serious matters** — offences not covered by spent conviction schemes ## What is not included in your police check? The following will not appear on your check: - **Spent convictions** — convictions that meet spent conviction criteria (see below) - **Infringement notices** — traffic fines and parking tickets paid without court - **Overseas convictions** — offences outside Australia - **Diversion programs** — successfully completed diversion agreements - **Dismissed or withdrawn charges** — matters that did not proceed to conviction - **Professional sanctions** — disciplinary actions by professional bodies or unions ## Understanding spent convictions Australia has spent conviction schemes that allow certain convictions to be removed from your record after a waiting period. ### Automatic spent convictions Convictions may become spent automatically if: - **10 years** have passed since conviction (for adults) - **5 years** have passed since conviction (for juvenile offenders — 3 years in NSW) - No further offences were committed during the waiting period - Waiting-period commencement [varies by jurisdiction](https://workerchecks.com/what-shows-up-on-a-police-check-in-australia-complete-state-by-state-guide/) — in some states it starts from the date of conviction, in others after any imprisonment term is completed ### Convictions that can never be spent Some serious offences remain on your record permanently: - Sexual offences (in most jurisdictions — Victoria allows court applications to spend serious convictions, including sexual offences) - Convictions with prison sentences over 30 months (Commonwealth/VIC) or 6 months (NSW) — [thresholds vary by state](https://workerchecks.com/what-shows-up-on-a-police-check-in-australia-complete-state-by-state-guide/) - Convictions of corporate bodies - Certain regulatory offences specified by legislation ### Court application required For serious convictions (violence, sexual offences, longer sentences), you may need to apply to a Magistrates’ Court for a spent conviction order. This requires: - meeting the waiting period - demonstrating rehabilitation - court approval Note Spent conviction laws [vary by state and territory](https://workerchecks.com/what-shows-up-on-a-police-check-in-australia-complete-state-by-state-guide/). Commonwealth matters have different rules from state matters. ## Understanding “without conviction” findings If your check shows “Without conviction discharged” (e.g. Section 19B Crimes Act 1914), this means: - the court found you guilty of an offence - no conviction was recorded - you were likely placed on a good behaviour bond or recognisance - **this finding still appears on your police check**, even though it’s not technically a “conviction” These findings are different from spent convictions and may require legal advice to address. ## No Disclosable Court Outcomes (NDCO) A result showing “No Disclosable Court Outcomes” means: - you have no convictions or pending charges, or - any convictions you had are now spent and not disclosable This is a clear police check result. ## Where does this information come from? A national police check searches: - all Australian state and territory police databases - Australian Federal Police records - court records from Magistrates’, Children’s, County and Supreme Courts - all jurisdictions where you have lived in Australia This is a nationwide check — convictions from other states will appear. ## What are police checks used for? Police checks are commonly required for: - **Employment screening** — financial roles, healthcare, childcare, aged care - **NDIS worker screening** — disability support workers - **Working with children** — teachers, coaches, childcare workers - **Working with vulnerable people** — aged care, disability support - **Licensing** — firearms, security, real estate, rideshare drivers - **Visa and citizenship applications** - **Volunteer positions** — community organisations, sports clubs ## Do police checks expire? A police check is a “point in time” check and shows your criminal history at the time it was issued. ### Validity - police checks don’t technically “expire” - most organisations accept checks less than **3 months old** - some industries (NDIS, childcare) may have specific timeframes - your check remains available in your CheckHub portal for 3 months ### When to get a new check - when applying for a new job or role - if your previous check is older than 3 months - if you’ve been convicted of a new offence - when required by your employer or industry ## Who can apply? Anyone over 18 can apply for a police check. Getting your own check helps you: - understand what’s on your record - be prepared for employment applications - identify any errors that need disputing - apply for spent convictions if eligible ## Processing time ### Standard processing - **80%** of Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Checks are completed within **1–3 minutes** - delivered to your personal CheckHub portal, with instant email and SMS notification ### Delayed checks (manual vetting) - around **20%** of applications require manual vetting via state police services, coordinated by ACIC - usually due to name matches or multiple records - can take several business days, and occasionally longer ## Can I choose not to share my result? **If your check contains a Disclosable Court Outcome**, Worker Checks will **not** share your result without your explicit consent. Our consent process: 1. we notify you by email and SMS when your result is ready 2. you can view your result privately in your CheckHub portal 3. you can then choose to: - **approve release** to the organisation that requested it - **not approve release** and keep the result private - **dispute the result** if you believe it contains errors Important If you applied through an employer and don’t respond within 7 days, your result will be automatically released to them, as originally agreed during your application. **Need help?** If you have questions about your police check results or need assistance, start a chat with our Australian-based support team, or email [ask@workerchecks.com](mailto:ask@workerchecks.com).