Our employment checks

Why we do security checks 

We do checks to ensure that everyone who accesses our information and buildings will not pose a security risk. 

You need to supply personal information that allows us to complete these checks. We’ll tell you what we need. If you fail to meet our checks, we will not hire you. You’ll only receive a formal written offer after all checks have cleared. 

All staff must undergo a national police records check and hold a security clearance. The Agency Security Advisor determines the level of clearance you need.  

You must be an Australian Citizen to work for the department. 

What you need to provide 

Employment checks are part of our recruitment process. If we wish to hire you, we’ll tell you what documents we need to complete the checks. 

Required documents and checks

You’ll need to do the following: 

• Provide identity documents, including any change of name evidence 
• Provide proof of your Australian citizenship 
• Undergo a national police records check. You will need to provide: 
• a copy of your driver licence, firearms licence and passport, if you hold any of these 
• details of any criminal charges, convictions or fines 
• details of your addresses for the last 5 years. If you’ve lived overseas in this timeframe, we will scrutinise the time that you lived overseas. You may need to provide evidence from an independent source. This could be a foreign police check and evidence of your overseas address for that period. This may impact your eligibility for a security clearance 
• Undergo an assessment for a ‘Baseline’ security clearance. We will tell you if your role needs a higher-level security clearance. For security clearances: 
• you will need to complete online forms and provide evidence as requested by the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA)(Opens in a new tab/window) 
• if you hold a current security clearance, we can sponsor your clearance 

You need to declare: 

• that you are medically fit to do the job 
• any reasonable adjustments you need 
• if you have received a redundancy payment in the last 12 months from: 
  • an Australian Public Service agency  
  • the Australian Parliamentary Service 

Dependant on the role, you may need to provide the following: 

• Evidence of mandatory qualifications or professional memberships. We may confirm your qualifications with your educational institution 
• Confirmation of Heritage if successful through our Indigenous recruitment process 
• Evidence of disability if successful through our disability recruitment process 

Proof of identity documentation 

You need to provide a document from each of the following sections. 

A copy of one of the following: 

• Your full Australian birth certificate issued by the state or territory Registry of Births, Death and Marriages. We do not accept extracts of your birth certificate or commemorative birth certificates 
• Your Australian citizenship certificate. Provide both the front and back of the certificate 
• Your current Australian passport  

A copy of one of the following: 

• A current licence or permit issued under a law of the Australian Government, a state or territory. We will need a copy of the front of the licence as well as the back if it contains address details. This could be: 
  • driver licence 
  • firearms licence 
• A current Proof of Age card 

A copy of one of the following: 

• Your current Medicare card
• A current identification card issued by the Australian Government, a state or a territory as evidence of entitlement to a financial benefit. This could be: 
  • a Pensioner Concession Card 
  • Health Care Card from Services Australia 
• A current security guard or crowd control licence 
• A tertiary identification card 
• A current credit or bank card with signature 

A copy of one of the following, as evidence of your current residential address: 

• Driver licence  
• Property lease or rental agreement
• An account from a utility (such as electricity, phone or gas), superannuation, insurance, motor vehicle registration or land rates noticed dated within the last 6 months 
• Electoral roll registration(Opens in a new tab/window). You can check or update your address details on your state electoral role online. You can use the confirmation email or screen message as evidence

Change of name documentation 

You must provide official name change documentation for every name change. Provide one of the following documents to prove your change of name: 

• Australian Marriage certificate issued by the state or territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. The identification or registration number must be visible. Marriage certificates provided at your marriage ceremony are not accepted. If you do not have an acceptable certificate, you will need to apply for one from the relevant registry  
• Overseas marriage certificate issued by the official authority 
• Divorce documentation (decree nisi or decree absolute) 
• Deed poll 
• Re-issued birth certificate with name change documented
• An official name change document issued by the state or territory’s Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages 

If you have a different name on your official document, you need to complete a statutory declaration explaining why. 

If you were born in Australia after 19 August 1986 

Provide a copy of one of the following: 

• Your current Australian passport if you have not provided it earlier 
• If you have provided your full birth certificate, provide evidence of one parent’s Australian citizenship or permanent residency at the time of your birth. This can be any of the following: 
  • one parent’s full Australian birth certificate
  • one parent’s Australian passport issued after 19 August 1986 that was valid for at least 2 years and issued before your birth 
  • one parent’s certificate of Australian citizenship issued before your birth

If you are unable to provide any of these, you must apply to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for an Australian citizenship certificate(Opens in a new tab/window).  

Current department casual, contractor or non-ongoing employees 

In some cases, you will need to renew your pre-engagement checks. We will notify you if this is required.