What Shows Up on an Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check? State-by-State Guide

What shows up on an Australian police check? State-by-state guide

What a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) can release, how spent convictions work in every state and territory, and how to apply to have a conviction spent where the law requires an application.

Updated October 2026 · General information only, not legal advice

इस पृष्ठ पर

What can appear on your check
What usually doesn’t appear
Spent convictions at a glance
State-by-state rules and how to apply
When spent convictions are still released
If something is on your check that shouldn’t be
सामान्य प्रश्न

If you’re applying for a job, volunteer role or licence in Australia, you’ll probably be asked for a राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर समन्वित आपराधिक इतिहास जांच (एनसीसीएचसी). Your result is either “No Disclosable Court Outcomes” or a list of the court outcomes that police are allowed to release for the purpose of your check.

The most important thing to know: a conviction does not disappear just because 10 years have passed. Whether it becomes “spent” depends on the law of the state or territory where it was recorded, the sentence you received, and the type of offence. In पश्चिमी ऑस्ट्रेलिया, and for some convictions in विक्टोरिया, दक्षिण ऑस्ट्रेलिया, द उत्तरी क्षेत्र और यह कार्य, you have to apply before a conviction is spent.

What can appear on your police check

Your certificate can include प्रकटनीय न्यायालय परिणाम (डीसीओ) from every Australian state and territory, plus Commonwealth offences. Depending on the jurisdiction and the purpose of your check, these can include:

Convictions recorded by a court, and the penalty imposed (fines, community correction orders, good behaviour bonds, suspended sentences, imprisonment)
Findings of guilt where no conviction was recorded (released in some jurisdictions; in others these are spent immediately)
Outstanding (pending) charges, where the relevant police agency’s release policy allows it
Court-imposed orders connected to an offence

What usually doesn’t appear

Charges that were withdrawn or dismissed, and acquittals (found not guilty)
Spent convictions, for most checks (see the exceptions below)
Police cautions, warnings and most youth diversion outcomes
Traffic and other infringement notices that were paid and never went to court
Police intelligence or suspicions

Spent convictions at a glance

The rules of the jurisdiction where the conviction was recorded apply, not where you live now. A Queensland conviction follows Queensland law even if you now live in Victoria.

Jurisdiction	Automatic?	Waiting period (adult / youth)	Never spent automatically	Can you apply?
एनएसडब्ल्यू	हाँ	10 years / 3 years	Prison over 6 months, sexual offences, corporations	No general application process
विक	Yes, except serious convictions	10 years / 5 years	Prison over 30 months, sexual offences, serious violence offences	हाँ — Magistrates’ Court of Victoria (serious convictions)
क्वींसलैंड	हाँ	10 years if convicted on indictment as an adult / 5 years otherwise	Prison over 30 months	No — courts can’t grant spent status
एसए	Yes, for eligible offences	10 years / 5 years	Adult prison of 12 months or more, youth prison of 24 months or more, most sex offences	हाँ — Magistrates Court (eligible sex offences and certain historical offences)
WA	नहीं	10 years plus any time in prison	Everything — all WA convictions need an application or court order	हाँ — WA Police (lesser) or District Court (serious)
टीएएस	Yes (“annulled”)	10 years / 5 years	Prison over 6 months (including suspended), sexual offences	No general application process
एनटी	हाँ	10 years / 5 years (Youth Justice Court)	Prison over 6 months, sexual offences	हाँ — Commissioner of Police (youths convicted in an adult court)
कार्य	हाँ	10 years / 5 years	Prison over 6 months, sexual offences, corporations	हाँ — court (sexual offences committed as a youth only)
राष्ट्रमंडल	हाँ	10 years / 5 years	Prison over 30 months	No general application process

In every jurisdiction a further conviction during the waiting period can restart or extend the clock, and the waiting period is generally counted from the date of conviction. Check the detail for your state below.

State-by-state rules and how to apply

न्यू साउथ वेल्स स्वचालित

आपराधिक अभिलेख अधिनियम 1991 (न्यू साउथ वेल्स)

Adult convictions are spent after 10 consecutive crime-free years; Children’s Court convictions after 3 years.
Can’t become spent: a prison sentence of more than 6 months, sexual offences, and convictions of a company.
A finding of guilt without conviction (such as a section 10 dismissal) is spent immediately.

How to apply

There is no application to have a conviction spent in NSW — eligible convictions become spent automatically. If your conviction can’t be spent under the Act, there is no process to change that. People with historical convictions for consensual homosexual conduct can apply to the Secretary of the Department of Communities and Justice to have them extinguished. Legal Aid NSW can give free advice.

विक्टोरिया Apply for serious convictions

Spent Convictions Act 2021 (Vic) — in force since 1 December 2021, and applies to convictions from before that date

Spent immediately: outcomes where the court did not record a conviction, offences committed under the age of 15, Children’s Court fine-only outcomes, and infringement convictions (once any conditions attached to the penalty are completed).
Spent automatically after 10 वर्ष, या 5 साल if you were a child or young offender when found guilty — unless it’s a serious conviction.
गंभीर दोषसिद्धि (prison or detention of more than 30 months, any sexual offence, or any serious violence offence) never become spent on their own.

How to apply (serious convictions)

Apply to the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria for a spent conviction order, once the 10-year (or 5-year) waiting period has passed. Follow the steps on the court’s Applying for a spent conviction order page.
Victoria Police and the Attorney-General are notified and can respond. A magistrate may decide without a hearing or ask you to attend court.
If the application is refused, you generally have to wait 2 years before applying again.
Some of the most serious convictions (for example, serious violence or sexual offences with long prison terms) can’t be spent at all.
Victoria Legal Aid doesn’t assist with these applications, so consider a private lawyer or a community legal centre.

क्वींसलैंड स्वचालित

अपराधिक कानून (अपराधियों के पुनर्वास) अधिनियम 1986 (क्लॉड)

The “rehabilitation period” is 10 वर्ष for an adult convicted on indictment (usually District or Supreme Court), and 5 साल in all other cases, including juveniles.
Can’t become spent: any conviction with a prison sentence of more than 30 months.
Sentencing courts often decide not to record a conviction, which affects what is released.

How to apply

There is no application process in Queensland. Once the rehabilitation period passes without another conviction, the conviction is treated as spent automatically. Queensland courts have confirmed they have no power to grant “spent” status to a conviction that doesn’t qualify. Historical convictions for consensual homosexual conduct can be expunged under a separate scheme.

दक्षिण ऑस्ट्रेलिया Apply for some offences

Spent Convictions Act 2009 (SA) and Spent Convictions Regulations 2026 (SA)

Spent immediately: findings of guilt where no conviction was recorded.
Spent automatically after 10 consecutive crime-free years for adults, or 5 साल for offences committed as a child (unless dealt with as an adult).
Only eligible offences qualify: for adults, no prison or a sentence of less than 12 months; for juveniles, no prison or less than 24 months.
Can’t become spent: convictions of a company, and sex offences — unless it’s an eligible sex offence or a designated sex-related offence (see below).
A minor later offence (discharged without penalty or fined $500 or less) doesn’t restart the clock.

How to apply

Eligible sex offences (where no prison sentence was imposed) and certain historical consensual or same-sex offences only become spent if a qualified magistrate makes an order, after the waiting period.
Apply to the Magistrates Court of South Australia using the Form 1Z originating application (Spent Convictions Act order) with a Form 7 affidavit. You must attach a police check processed within the last 6 months.
If a magistrate refuses an eligible sex offence application, you can’t apply again for 2 years.
Where a conviction is already spent, you can also apply to a magistrate to have certain exclusions (such as those for working with vulnerable people or licensing character tests) not apply to it.
Free legal help: Legal Services Commission of SA on 1300 366 424.

पश्चिमी ऑस्ट्रेलिया Must apply

समाप्त दोषसिद्धि अधिनियम 1988 (पश्चिमी ऑस्ट्रेलिया)

WA convictions are never spent automatically. Even after 10 years, a WA conviction keeps appearing until you apply and it’s declared spent (unless the sentencing court made a spent conviction order at the time you were sentenced).

कम दोषसिद्धि

Prison of 12 months or less, and a fine of less than $15,000.

Apply to: the Commissioner of Police (WA Police Force).

When: 10 years after the conviction, plus any time served in prison, without a further conviction.

गंभीर दोषसिद्धि

Prison of more than 12 months, or a fine of $15,000 or more.

Apply to: a judge of the District Court of WA.

When: after the 10-year waiting period. Convictions with life imprisonment can’t be spent.

How to apply

Lesser convictions: complete the WA Police Application for Certificate that Lesser Conviction is Spent. There’s no fee, and you can email it to [email protected] or post it. Alternatively, applying for a National Police Certificate directly through WA Police automatically includes a request to spend any eligible WA convictions.
If your application meets the requirements, the Commissioner must issue the certificate — there’s no discretion to refuse.
गंभीर दोषसिद्धि: apply to the District Court of WA. Legal Aid WA publishes a free self-help kit for the application, and a judge will consider a range of factors.
This process only covers convictions recorded in WA. Convictions from other states follow that state’s rules.

तस्मानिया स्वचालित

Annulled Convictions Act 2003 (Tas)

A “minor conviction” is annulled automatically after 10 वर्ष of good behaviour (adults) or 5 साल (under 18), counted from the day it was recorded.
Good behaviour means no further conviction for an offence punishable by imprisonment; a new conviction restarts the period.
Can’t be annulled: a prison sentence of more than 6 months (including wholly or partly suspended sentences), sexual offences, and prescribed convictions.
In Tasmania a finding of guilt without a conviction recorded is still treated as a conviction under this Act, so it goes through the same waiting period.

How to apply

There is no application process — annulment happens automatically once the conditions are met. Convictions excluded from the scheme can’t be annulled by application.

उत्तरी क्षेत्र Apply in limited cases

आपराधिक अभिलेख (समाप्त दोषसिद्धि) अधिनियम 1992 (एनटी)

Spent automatically after 10 वर्ष for adults, or 5 साल for convictions in the Youth Justice Court.
Can’t become spent: a prison sentence of more than 6 months (suspended or not), sexual offences, and offences by a company.

How to apply

If you were under 18 when you committed the offence but were convicted in an adult court, the conviction becomes spent automatically after 10 years — or you can apply to the NT Commissioner of Police after 5 years to have it declared spent sooner. There is no application process for other convictions.

Australian Capital Territory Apply in limited cases

समाप्त दोषसिद्धि अधिनियम 2000 (एसीटी)

Spent automatically after a crime-free period of 10 वर्ष for adults or 5 साल for juveniles.
Non-conviction orders (where the court finds the offence proved but doesn’t convict) are spent immediately.
Can’t become spent automatically: a prison sentence of more than 6 months, sexual offences, and convictions of a corporation.

How to apply

A person convicted of a sexual offence committed when they were under 18 can apply to the court for an order that the conviction is spent. Adults convicted of sexual offences can’t apply. Separately, historical convictions for consensual homosexual conduct can be extinguished on application.

Commonwealth offences स्वचालित

Crimes Act 1914 (Cth), Part VIIC

Federal convictions (for example, Centrelink fraud, drug importation or immigration offences) are spent automatically after 10 वर्ष, या 5 साल if you were a minor.
Can’t become spent: a prison sentence of more than 30 months.

How to apply

There is no application process. If you believe a spent Commonwealth conviction has been disclosed improperly, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

When spent convictions are still released

Every scheme has exclusions. A spent conviction may still be released — and you may have to disclose it — when your check or application relates to roles such as:

Working with children (teaching, childcare, youth work, foster care)
Working with vulnerable people, including aged care, disability and NDIS support
Police, corrections, courts and some security roles
Registration or licensing that involves a “fit and proper person” or character test, such as health practitioners, lawyers and some licences

The exact list differs between jurisdictions. Working with Children Checks and NDIS Worker Screening Checks are separate from an NCCHC and apply their own rules.

If something is on your check that shouldn’t be

Worker Checks is an accredited body that submits your check to the National Police Checking Service. We can’t remove, change or “spend” anything on your criminal history — the record is held by the police agency of the state or territory where the outcome was recorded, and each agency applies its own spent convictions law before releasing anything.

The information is wrong

If an outcome isn’t yours, a charge has been finalised, or a conviction should already be spent under the rules above, you can raise a dispute from your certificate or your CheckHub. The relevant police agency reviews the record. Have your court documents ready.

The information is correct but old

If the conviction hasn’t been spent yet because your state requires an application (for example, any WA conviction), apply to the authority listed for that state above. Once it’s formally spent, it won’t be released on a standard employment check.

Applying in WA? Get your spent conviction certificate or court order first, then apply for your new police check. A new check won’t reflect the change until the authority has declared the conviction spent.

सामान्य प्रश्न

My conviction is more than 10 years old. Why is it still on my check?

The most common reasons are that it was recorded in Western Australia (where you must apply), it’s a serious conviction in Victoria (where you must apply to the Magistrates’ Court), the sentence was too long for that jurisdiction’s scheme, it’s a sexual offence, a later conviction restarted the waiting period, or your check is for a role where spent convictions are still released.

Can Worker Checks remove a conviction from my record?

No. No police check provider can. Spent convictions are decided by the law of the jurisdiction where the conviction was recorded, and only the police agency, or a court where the law requires an application, can treat a conviction as spent.

I was convicted in WA but now live in another state. Where do I apply?

To WA. Lesser WA convictions go to the WA Police Force, and serious WA convictions go to the District Court of WA, regardless of where you live now.

Will an old speeding fine show up?

Generally not, if it was an infringement notice you paid and it never went to court. Traffic matters that went to court and resulted in a conviction, such as drink driving, can appear until they’re spent.

Do pending charges appear?

They can. Most police agencies release outstanding charges, subject to their own release policies. Pending charges are not convictions, and an employer should assess them with care.

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Sources

Criminal Records Act 1991 (NSW); Legal Aid NSW — Criminal records
Spent Convictions Act 2021 (Vic); Magistrates’ Court of Victoria — Spent Convictions Scheme
अपराधिक कानून (अपराधियों के पुनर्वास) अधिनियम 1986 (क्लॉड)
Spent Convictions Act 2009 (SA); Law Handbook SA — Effects of criminal convictions
Spent Convictions Act 1988 (WA); WA Police — Apply for a spent conviction; Legal Aid WA — Applying for old convictions to be spent
Annulled Convictions Act 2003 (Tas)
आपराधिक अभिलेख (समाप्त दोषसिद्धि) अधिनियम 1992 (एनटी)
समाप्त दोषसिद्धि अधिनियम 2000 (एसीटी)
अपराध अधिनियम 1914 (सीटीएच) भाग VIIC

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Spent convictions law is complex and changes over time — for advice about your own record, contact Legal Aid or a community legal centre in the state where the conviction was recorded.