Spent Convictions & Record Clearance

A criminal record can affect employment, travel, housing, insurance, and professional licensing for years after the original offence. In the ACT, the Spent Convictions Act 2000 allows certain convictions to be cleared from your criminal record after a specified period of good behaviour. Andrew Byrnes Law Group advises clients in Canberra on their eligibility for spent convictions, the process for checking criminal records, and strategies for managing the impact of a conviction on employment and security clearances.

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How Andrew Byrnes Law Group Can Help

While the spent convictions process in the ACT is automatic, many people are unsure whether their conviction qualifies, how to check, or what to do if a spent conviction continues to appear on background checks. Our services include:

Advice on whether your conviction is eligible to be spent under ACT law
Assistance with police record checks and interpreting the results
Advice for APS employees on the interaction between spent convictions and security clearance vetting
Representation in discrimination matters where an employer or organisation has improperly relied on a spent conviction
Sentencing advocacy aimed at achieving outcomes that maximise eligibility for spent conviction status (e.g. seeking sentences under 6 months)

For Current Criminal Matters

If you are currently facing charges, our lawyers consider spent conviction eligibility as part of the sentencing strategy. Wherever possible, we advocate for sentencing outcomes that will allow the conviction to become spent — for example, seeking a sentence of imprisonment of 6 months or less, or a non-custodial order, rather than a longer term that would permanently exclude the conviction from the scheme.

Serving Canberra and Surrounding Regions

Andrew Byrnes Law Group advises clients on criminal records and spent convictions across Canberra, Queanbeyan, Yass, Goulburn, and surrounding regions. Contact us on (02) 6210 1075.

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