20 Jul 2015

NZ, Australia to share data on deportees

9:20 am on 20 July 2015

Australia and New Zealand have agreed to share more information about deported offenders.

A New Zealand prison cell.

Photo: RNZ

Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga said the agreement would help officials in both countries deal with offenders who had been sent back to their home countries.

He said between 60 and 100 offenders were deported to New Zealand each year, most of them from Australia.

Mr Lotu-Iiga said it was essential Customs, Police and Corrections staff had the information, so they knew whether a person posed a risk and could determine whether they needed to be managed or monitored.

Four years ago, Jeremy McLaughlin, who had been deported from Australia after serving a prison sentence for killing a teenager, murdered Christchurch schoolgirl Jade Bayliss.

Neither police nor his former partner, Jade's mother Tina Bayliss, were aware of his criminal history.

Ms Bayliss later launched a petition calling for closer monitoring of violent criminals deported to New Zealand.

She told Morning Report that seeing the agreement finally happen was brilliant, and should give authorities much more access.

''I'm hoping that information is going to be on their site so when they open up a person's file they can see their criminal history in whatever country."

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