Aust, NZ to share criminal info

  • 20/07/2015
Aust, NZ to share criminal info

A new agreement with the Australian government will see information about deported criminals shared on both sides of the Tasman.

The Department of Corrective Services in Australia and the Corrections Department here have signed a memorandum of understanding so that officials can better deal with offenders when they return home.

It is hoped the agreement will help prevent cases such as the murder of Jade Bayliss, who was strangled by a man who had previously killed in Australia.

University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis says currently New Zealand has no insight into what someone's has been up to in Australia.

"We just aren't aware of their potential for aggression, for harm, so now all those things will become available to the judicial system here and can be used to make decisions about people."

RadioLIVE