Teachers Registration Board of the Northern Territory
Print Increase Font Decrease Font

Declarations

When completing Section 12 of the Application Form, please read the questions carefully. You are obliged to disclose all requested information.

The Teacher Registration Board must ensure that all people registered to teach are of good character and, for this reason, teachers have been excluded from the Criminal Records (Spent Convictions) Act 2005. This means that the Board, when requesting Criminal History Record Checks, will be given all information irrespective of when an offence was committed.

An indictable offence is any offence for which a person can be charged. Failure to disclose this information in Section 12 of the form may mean that you have committed an offence under Oaths Act NT 2000.

The disclosure of a criminal record does not mean that you will be automatically refused registration. The Board considers criminal histories with reference to: the nature of the offence; whether a conviction has been recorded; any sentence imposed by the courts; the number of offences; and the time that has elapse since the offences.

You will find more information about this in Section 13 of the Teacher Registration (Northern Territory) Act that reads as follows:

13. Determination of good character

  1. In determining whether a person who is an applicant for registration, or in relation to whom an application for authorisation has been made, is of good character, the Board:

    • must obtain a criminal history check in relation to the person and take into account any finding of guilt or charge made against him or her;

    • must take into account any behaviour of the person that:
      • does not satisfy a standard of behaviour generally expected of a teacher;
      • is improper or otherwise not in accordance with a code of ethics developed and promulgated by the Board; or
      • shows that the person is unfit to be a teacher; and

    • may take into account any other matters that it considers relevant.

  2. If the Board, in taking into account the matters referred to in subsection (1), is not satisfied that the person is of good character, it must give the person an opportunity to appear before it.

  3. The person, when appearing before the Board, may be accompanied by any other person, but is not entitled to be represented.