Types of Australian Employment Background Checks

Margaret Williams
4 min readMay 5, 2021

On the one hand, pre-employment screening serves best for the public, private, and government bodies for selecting a trustworthy & capable candidate. On the other, it also improves the chances for a job seeker or applicant to get hired for the position quickly. Candidates looking to secure a role in local government and councils also need to undergo various background check processes, including National Police Check.

More often than not, the Australian government recommends hiring government agencies to perform stringent background checks adhering to Australian Standards. However, it is up to the employer to determine which background checks they require to complete the recruitment process.

Did you know that there are over 50 different kinds of checks available? Knowing and selecting one is a daunting task if you wish to go prepared in an interview.

Hence, in this post, we have created a list of the various Australian Employment & other on-demand Background Checks.

Before we explore the list, do you think that a pre-employment background check is not essential or necessary? Then, you must know these 5 reasons for a pre-employment background check.

So, here’s the list of the types of background checks that may be relevant to a role in your company or for a position you might be interested in applying.

Identity Checks

These checks are considered crucial in the recruitment process to identify & verify a candidate’s identity. Identity verification is a mandatory part of every police check application.

100 Point ID Check

This is performed hand-in-hand with the Identity checks. A 100 point ID check is assessing a candidate’s identity documents of Australian or state-issued documentation.

Citizenship/Residency Status Validation Check

Candidates involved in the public sector, including the local council, need to validate their work rights in Australia. To verify the same, you’ll need to check their citizenship or residency status before hiring them. Thus, it is also sometimes referred to as Visa/Passport validation check due to the involvement of various sources depending upon nationality or citizenship.

VEVO Work Entitlement Check

This is carried out to validate a foreign international’s work rights in Australia with the Department of Home Affairs.

Qualification Check

Qualification verification ensures the credibility of their formal education directly with the awarding body with respect to dates, transcripts, etc.

Professional Check

A professional verification check is about the candidate’s professional membership, licensing, or registration qualification check with the awarding institute. This could reveal the genuinity & evidence of the relevant documentation.

Employment Check

An employment verification check helps expose any discrepancies & inconsistencies with regards to the details of your previous employer. Information such as employment duration, job role, etc., are verified with the Human Resources department of the former employer.

Finance Industry Employment Check

This one mainly deals with checking the individual’s history for any misconduct or any ongoing cases with a former employer in the banking industry. The data is verified through a series of questionnaires complying with the Australian Banking Industry Conduct Background Check Protocol.

Security Clearance Check

A few candidates might be applying for an authorized role wherein they would require security or other types of clearance to perform their duty. Security clearance checks are usually carried out for the roles that need to access classified information as per the Australian government requirements.

National Police Check

Majorly all kinds of organisations (public or private) require a criminal history check to help recruiters make an informed decision and safeguard the workplace environment.

Candidates also need to keep in mind the state they are applying in as the Police clearance certificate might be subjected to local jurisdictions. For example, National Police Check SA, National Police Check NSW, Police Check VIC, etc.

Referee Check

For individuals who are already employed in the public sector require a service check. The check gives information about their current role, status, & their overall behavior & conduct within the organisation. For others, a referee check might come in handy to verify their employment history & conduct.

Health Assessment Check

It is a standard pre-employment medical examination check which may involve following up with:

  • medical history
  • Overall medical examination

Pre-placement health assessment is usually subjected to the requirement and demand of the role where physical fitness is mandatory. A few organisations may opt for a detailed medical assessment, including drug and alcohol screening, as per the requirements.

Driving History Check

Also known as traffic history check is a state-specific driving record search for any violations or offenses. It may include a full report with details such as driver license validity, points, and any other offense which might pose driver riskiness for the relevant role.

Bankruptcy Check

As the name suggests, a bankruptcy check is done to obtain the candidate’s financial history. It is searching for the National Personal Insolvency Index under the Bankruptcy Act held by the Australian Financial Security Authority.

Working with Children Check

If the role involves the candidate to volunteer or work with children, then a working with children check is a must. Usually, it involves a criminal history check along with any workplace misconduct.

These are all the significant Australian pre-employment background checks. The types of background checks and screening will vary for each individual depending upon the role or position applied.

Wrap Up:

KONCHECK is one of Australia’s most extensive background check service providers. With the police check online services, now individuals and organisations can be rest assured to receive the results within 1–2 business days.

We have also helped organisations with industry-specific on-demand background check services or as per their requirement. KONCHECK is accredited by the ACIC and remains committed to making workplaces safer for the Australian community.

Originally published at https://www.koncheck.com.

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Margaret Williams

Hi, I am Margaret from Australia. Writing blogs is my passion. Professionally, I am closely working with National Police Check - https://www.koncheck.com/npc