Four decades ago, David Halliwell was 20 years old when he stole two planks of timber, getting himself a criminal record.

Key points: Victoria is the only Australian jurisdiction without a legislated spent convictions scheme

Victoria is the only Australian jurisdiction without a legislated spent convictions scheme Under such schemes, laws prevent minor convictions being disclosed after a set period of time

Under such schemes, laws prevent minor convictions being disclosed after a set period of time Currently in Victoria, police have discretion about whether to disclose convictions

"I needed a couple of pieces of timber to put a boat on the roof of my car," Mr Halliwell said.

"I knew of a timber yard that was fairly close by that I knew had some stacks of old timber.

"So I went up there in my car, jumped the fence, took a couple of pieces of timber, threw them over the fence, put them on the roof of my car.

"The local security person came and said, well, I've got your car number, I'm going to be calling the police."

Mr Halliwell was placed on a good behaviour bond and was told he would have no conviction recorded, but in Victoria that still shows up on a criminal record.

Victoria is the only state without spent conviction laws, meaning a criminal conviction will, in many cases, show up in a police check forever.

In every other Australian jurisdiction, including the Commonwealth, laws prevent the disclosure of minor convictions after a set time if the person has committed no other crime.

'I might as well have robbed a bank'

Mr Halliwell is one of an unknown number of Victorians with historical minor criminal records who could benefit from a spent convictions scheme.

"It just keeps coming back and haunting you for the rest of your life," Mr Halliwell said of his actions 40 years ago.

"My actual charges are theft, and [being] unlawfully on premises.

"As far as an employer is concerned, if they were to receive that information, they don't know the scope and extent of what I did at the time. I might as well have robbed a bank."

David Halliwell's past has made applying for jobs more difficult. ( ABC News: Peter Lusted )

Reason Party MP Fiona Patten is the chair of the Legislative Council's Legal and Social Issues Committee, which has conducted an inquiry into a legislated spent convictions scheme.

She said the current process, where police had discretion about whether to disclose convictions, was inadequate.

"Sometimes disclosures that you wouldn't expect to be disclosed are and in other times, not," Ms Patten said of the current approach.

"Things like a no conviction recorded, you would think that wouldn't turn up on a police check, but it does. Charges pending turn up, even good behaviour bonds turn up.

"That lack of certainty for people with past convictions sometimes actually stops them from even applying for a job, because they're worried that the shame of a stupid thing that they did in their past will come back and be made public."

Committee divided on shape of reforms

The committee handed down its findings today and while it was united in recognising the need for a spent convictions scheme, it was divided on how the scheme should work.

The committee majority, including members from Labor and Derryn Hinch's Justice Party recommended a two-tiered program administered by an independent body.

The main scheme would include automatic controls on the disclosure of convictions, after a crime-free period where a jail sentence of no more than 30 months was ordered.

"We have recommended that the Government consider this and that [the crime-free period] sits somewhere between five and 10 years for adults, and three and five years for juveniles," Ms Patten said.

"There is no great evidence on what the perfect time is."

The second tier would allow people with criminal convictions for more serious crimes to apply for a non-disclosure order in certain circumstances, including demonstrated rehabilitation.

A minority report by three Liberal MPs supported setting crime-free periods at the longer end of the scale, and rejected the second tier and the introduction of a new authority to run the program.

Fiona Patten says the current approach to disclosing convictions lacks certainty. ( Supplied )

More employers demanding police checks

For Victorians with a criminal record, it is becoming more difficult to escape the stigma of their convictions as more employers demand police checks.

In the 2017-18 reporting year, Victoria Police did 716,768 police record checks, up from 477,500 in 2014-15.

Stan Winford of RMIT University's Centre for Innovative Justice said a legislated spent convictions scheme should be set up as soon as possible.

"They allow people, once they've done their time, to become part of the community again and get access to employment and other opportunities," Mr Winford said.

"If we allow people to return to the community after doing their time, they're much less likely to create future victims by returning to offending."

Victoria's Attorney-General, Jill Hennessy, said the Government was open to reform and would "carefully consider" the inquiry's recommendations.