Criminal History SharingLast month, following revelations about a $21m fraud in a Queensland government health agency, the state premier announced that -
The Prime Ministers agreed to enhance the reciprocal sharing of criminal history information for employment vetting purposes and plan an initial six month trial with Queensland to test how consistent and systematic requests for criminal history checks for employment purposes can be facilitated between Australia and New Zealand. They also directed officials to accelerate the work under way on reciprocal information sharing to support border control and law enforcement, consistent with free movement of people across the Tasman.
Currently Queensland Police conduct background checks via the Federal Government’s CrimTrac national database, which is limited to Australian jurisdictions only.New Zealander Hohepa Morehu-Barlow, who among other things claimed to be royalty, was arrested last month after claims that $21m had been embezzled from Queensland's health authority. That news coincided with conviction of New Zealander Warren Attfield for another fraud in Queensland. Attfield was sentenced to five years in a NZ prison in 1996 after admitting defrauding South Wood Exports of $2.8m to fund his gambling, described in Two over three on Goodtime Sugar: the New Zealand TAB turns 50 (Wellington: Victoria University Press 2000) by David Grant. At the end of his sentence Attfield moved to Australia and in the absence of an Australian criminal record became finance officer at the Yaamba Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Men. He defrauded the corporation of over $300,000, confessing when the organisation did not have enough money to pay staff wages.
Ms Bligh said she had discussed with both Prime Ministers the need to broaden CrimTrac to include New Zealand’s criminal records database. This would allow police to easily identify any employees who had been previously convicted of criminal offences in New Zealand.
“Like all Queenslanders, I am angry and appalled at the theft of $16 million from taxpayers that should have been spent on health services,” Ms Bligh said.
“That’s why I have acted immediately to get answers on how and why this has occurred.
“Queensland Police have a good working relationship with their counterparts in New Zealand on a case-by-case basis but the data is not exchanged as part of their respective criminal history checking processes.
“But it has become clear there may be a heightened risk of people with criminal histories remaining undetected given the free flow of Australian and New Zealand citizens who are able to live and work in both countries.
“That’s why I have this morning spoken directly with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to discuss how we can work together to share information that will stop criminals from exploiting this loophole.”
Ms Bligh said both Prime Ministers shared her concerns about the need to tighten up procedures and were seeking urgent advice on the next steps that were needed.
“Whilst this fraud has occurred against the people of Queensland, the exclusion of New Zealand criminal histories from CrimTrac meant this could have happened to any public sector agency across Australia,” Ms Bligh said.
“Similarly, Australian criminals may be taking advantage of this situation in New Zealand.
“It is critical law enforcement agencies on both sides of the Tasman are able to quickly access the most accurate information on anyone who has a history of offending, especially where they are working in positions of trust. ... We will leave no stone unturned in getting answers and I won’t hesitate to hold those responsible to account.”
Yaamba's former manager Bob Salam is reported as stating that -
he would not have hired him if he had known about [Attfield's] convictions.
"We were looking for a bookkeeper and his name came up," Salam said.
Attfield presented a reference from another Aboriginal corporation in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, but did not mention any convictions, he said.
"We didn't get a check ... He was a good employee, he seemed to be going great guns. He was getting the books done and seemed pretty clued up on stuff."
Salam said he knew Attfield liked a bet but never suspected he had a gambling problem or was stealing money to pay for it.
"I used to go to the TAB with him," he said.
