Editorial: Right to know past crimes

Employers have the right to know if they are about to hire a convicted criminal.

It is frightening to think a prospective employee can hide an offence as serious as indecent assault from an employer.

It is also hard to fathom how one local criminal, who has amassed 75 convictions, has been able to hide them under the Clean Slate Act.

The act allows people with less serious convictions to have them concealed if they have been conviction-free for seven years and meet other criteria.

Today we report that 3700 Tauranga criminals have been allowed to hide convictions such as fraud, burglary and indecent assault from employers under the law that came in 10 years ago.

Concealed convictions included stabbing, fraud, arson and recklessly causing death.

These are serious crimes and the fact they are being hidden from employers raises serious questions about the way the law is being applied.

Shouldn't employers be able to make an informed decision on whether or not to hire someone?

First Union general secretary Robert Reid says the act was giving people a second chance and helping to reduce unemployment. He says employers could be "whipping themselves into a frenzy over something that's not an issue".

However, Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Dave Burnett says more serious crimes should not be hidden.

Employers want to hire decent, honest people and they are entitled to know whether a prospective employee has convictions for serious crimes.