Oscar I. Roos

Criminal Priors & the Right to Be Elected - The Salutary Tale of Ronald 'Bunna' Walsh

There is a valuable contribution to public life that can be made by those who have a criminal record. This issue is of contemporary relevance because most Australian jurisdictions still provide for some form of parliamentary disqualification based on a persons criminal history. This article surveys the various provisions that apply in several Australian jurisdictions and argues specifically that the Victorian and Western Australian parliamentary disqualification provisions are draconian and in breach of fundamental human rights. In those two jurisdictions, in particular, there is urgent need for legislative reform.