It depends. A criminal record does not automatically stop you getting a firearms licence in Victoria unless it makes you a “prohibited person” under the Firearms Act 1996 (Vic). Even if you are not a prohibited person, a record can still count against you under the separate “fit and proper person” test that every applicant must satisfy.
Legal aid is government-funded representation for people who pass a means and merits test, while a private criminal lawyer is one you choose and pay for directly. Legal aid is free or low cost but eligibility is limited, and private representation gives you choice, direct access, and dedicated attention at a price.
A criminal record in Victoria is permanent. It is never deleted, because Victoria Police keeps your criminal history on file for life, and the Spent Convictions Act 2021 is not an erasure scheme. What changes over time is not the record but its visibility. Most convictions become spent and stop appearing on standard police checks after a conviction period of 10 years for an adult, or 5 years if you were under 21, and some are spent immediately. Serious convictions can still show, and even spent convictions are disclosed for certain roles.
Sometimes, but not simply because a charge looks weak. A magistrate in Victoria cannot throw out a charge at the first mention just because they doubt it. Charges are ended early only through defined routes, most commonly a no case to answer submission at a contested hearing, a defective or out-of-time charge, or the prosecution offering no evidence.
For most convictions, you do not apply at all. They become spent automatically once a “conviction period” passes without reoffending, which is 10 years for an adult and 5 years if you were under 21 when you committed the offence. Some convictions, such as a finding of guilt with no conviction recorded, are spent immediately with no waiting period. A serious conviction is different, because it does not spend automatically and requires an application to the Magistrates’ Court, which you can only make once that same conviction period has expired.
