Labour looking at wiping slate clean

WELLINGTON - Justice Minister Phil Goff wants to revive 1990 legislation wiping clean the criminal records of people who have kept out of trouble for at least 10 years.

Mr Goff said the legislation would apply only to minor offences and to people who had not reoffended.

He had received a lot of correspondence from people who had committed a crime when they were young, and continued to suffer the consequences when applying for jobs or wanting to travel.

Mr Goff believed there should be provision for sealing the criminal records of these people.

"I would like at the very least to see a public debate, but my inclination is to support such legislation after a period of consultation with the public and wider discussion."

The issue was one of several raised by the Green Party justice spokesman, Nandor Tanczos, at a meeting with Mr Goff on Tuesday.

Mr Tanczos said the Greens supported "clean-slate" legislation, and he would consider drafting a private member's bill.

Mr Goff said the Labour MP Damien O'Connor was also drafting a bill, and it was possible a private member's bill might speed up the process.

"Whether it comes forward as a Government bill or member's bill is less important to me than that serious consideration be given to the issue."

Clean slate legislation was first proposed by Labour in 1990 but was dropped when National took power in 1991.

The Privacy Commissioner, Bruce Slane, said last year that he hoped Labour would revive the legislation.

Mr Slane said countries like Australia and Great Britain already had such legislation.

Research showed people often offended between the ages of 15 to 25, but in later years had changed their lifestyle, rendering earlier convictions irrelevant.

Mr Goff said the "general tenor" of the legislation acknowledged that people should be able to put the mistakes of their youth behind them.

"You should be able to live down your past and there should be an incentive for somebody who may have gone off the tracks at some point in their life to, by their subsequent behaviour, show that this is something they've left well behind them."

The exception was serious offenders, such as violent criminals or paedophiles.

Mr Tanczos said he also raised cannabis reform, more rights for victims, and establishing a public prosecutor's office to take over some police powers.

Mr Goff said Labour had already promised a review of the cannabis laws during this term of Government.

"My personal view is that I'm not in favour of legalisation but it may be that there are other models, where it can be demonstrated that there is still a sanction against the smoking of marijuana, but not one that involves a conviction if it's a small amount of drugs."

- NZPA