A brief history of Pardons/Record Suspensions
The Conservative government overhauled the pardons system to make it more expensive and rigorous after serial sex predators Graham James, and Karla Holmolka had been granted pardons.
Pardons, now known as record suspensions, are designed to seal a criminal record and allow previous offenders who have fully paid their debt to society and lived crime-free for years to reintegrate, get better jobs and travel abroad, become bonded, pass vulnerable sector searches, etc.
It is argued by some that pardons provide an incentive for prior offenders to remain clean, benefiting both them and society as a whole
The 2012 rule changes brought in a three-strikes rule, meaning no one with more than three convictions for indictable offences with two-year sentences could ever be pardoned. Certain offences, such as sex crimes against children, were also declared ineligible.
The crime-free grace period for pardon applicants after a sentence was fully served ( including payment of fines, community service, probation) was also increased to five years for summary conviction offences, and raised to 10 years from five for indictable offences.