Queensland gets results with New Zealand criminal checks A collection of silverware was among the treasure-trove of items accumulated by Queensland Health fraudster Joel Morehu-Barlow. Queensland government officials have been busy requesting criminal background checks on more than 740 New Zealand job applicants since fraudster Joel Morehu-Barlow siphoned $16 million from the state's coffers. Morehu-Barlow, a former Queensland Health finance officer, was in March sentenced to 14 years' jail for defrauding the state of $16 million over four years from 2007. A New Zealand background check, which would have revealed his previous fraud convictions, was not conducted before he started working in the department. Joel Morehu-Barlow defrauded Queensland Health of $16 million. He had skipped across the Tasman after being accused of stealing $100,000 from a children's charity. The Queensland Health case prompted a criminal data-sharing trial involving the New Zealand and Queensland governments. The year-long trial was extended in July this year. As of July 26 this year, Queensland government departments had requested 748 criminal history checks from New Zealand. The requests were made by the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, Disabilities Services, the Office of State Revenue and Morehu-Barlow's former employer Queensland Health. Of those requests, 13 returned a "disclosable result," a police spokeswoman said. Results received from New Zealand have included traffic history and disclosable criminal history. This information has been disseminated to the requesting agencies. Some Queensland Government agencies have their own direct checking arrangements with New Zealand. New Zealand's Child, Youth and Family agency, as well as its Ministry of Social Development have requested 89 criminal history checks from Queensland since the trial began. While the trial was negotiated between the two nations at a federal level it has applied only to Queensland. But New Zealand Justice Minister Judith Collins has suggested the trial could be expanded. "Both governments are considering how this arrangement can be extended to criminal history information requests from employers across Australia and New Zealand," she said.