News limited reports that A CONVICTED paedophile and a man ordered to pay damages for software piracy are on Queensland Health’s payroll.

The Courier-Mail newspaper reports the pedophile, convicted in 1994, works in Queensland Health’s mental health section.

An IT manager who was ordered by the Federal Court in 2001 to pay damages of $210,000 was employed by Queensland Health in 2006 and two years later was promoted.

Police Minister Neil Roberts said people with criminal convictions should be forgiven at some stage and allowed to move on.

“Certainly they need to be held accountable for that,” he told ABC Radio.

“But we also want people to get back on the straight and narrow and lead productive lives in the community.

“We have to draw a line in the sand at some point.

“That’s why under current legislation, after a period of time, people are able to not declare certain offences.

“Some need to be declared, but this is the system we have and I think it works well