Some news from Victoria Australia.. about WWC checks.
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Green light for criminals to work with children
- by: Carly Crawford
- From: Herald Sun
- November 08, 2011 12:00AM
- 4 comments
THREE in four criminals who apply to work with children in Victoria are allowed to do so.
A five-month Freedom of Information battle by the Herald Sun has found the State Government vetting process that aims to stop dangerous or "unsuitable" offenders working with children has permitted more than 2700 criminals through the net.
Of those, 43 people convicted of child sex crimes have been allowed to work with kids, despite the Department of Justice's efforts to stop them.
Since vetting began in 2006, the department has stopped 765 criminals. Of those who had sought permission, 189 were child sex offenders, billed as the most serious "Category One".
But an analysis of the Working With Children Check process reveals 689 "Category Two" offenders - who include stalkers, kidnappers and drug traffickers to kids - were cleared.
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- Strangers who lurk in the shadows The Daily Telegraph, 21 Aug 2011
- Sex criminal wins right to access IVF Herald Sun, 30 Jul 2011
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The revelations came after a five-month Freedom of Information battle.
A department spokesman said the crimes were years old and isolated, but refused to detail the extent of the offending in each case citing privacy laws.
The Herald Sun has uncovered cases where those who have been granted permission to work with children have later committed disturbing crimes.
In one case, an after-school care volunteer and primary school gardener from Ballan admitted to 14 offences of stalking, making child porn and possessing child porn despite having been granted a permit.
It is understood the Government is exploring ways to tighten the Working With Children Check, which costs $15 million a year to administer and took effect in April 2006.
Since then, more than 780,000 permits have been issued, according to the FOI data.
Of those, 2700 had violent, sexual or other relevant offences in their histories.
The bulk - 2017 - were classified as "Category Three" crimes which include recklessly causing injury or obscene exposure in cases where the victims were not children and the crimes were years old.
No permits were willingly issued to the worst "Category One" offenders, which are defined as those who have committed sex crimes against children.
But the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal overturned the department's refusal to issue permits in 43 such cases.
Hetty Johnson, of child protection group Bravehearts, said the process did not go far enough because it was limited to a scan of the applicant's criminal and professional history, with interviews where necessary.
"All it will tell you is that the applicant has no criminal history but only 1 per cent of child sex offenders are ever convicted,"
Lets hope the case tomorrow gets the media involved.
HHG