It depends. If you plead guilty and you get a "dismissal" under say Section 10 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act then you will only have a "record" for the duration of any bond attaching to the court order. When the bond expires, so does the record.

But if you plead guilty and the court convicts you, you will have a record for the duration of time specified int he records act (usually about 10 years).

In addition, you should be aware that there are different kinds of records and any interaction you have with the NSW Police or the court will be noted somewhere on a file. Only certain matters are disclosable and so the question becomes whether you have to disclose particular offences.

What is the criminal charge you are referring to?