The agency conducts eligibility and suitability screening of candidates before we make an offer of employment. This is done to assess if individuals are eligible and suitable to be employed by Services Australia.
Pre-engagement checks
Our pre-engagement checks include:
- a proof of identity check, including any name changes or aliases
- an Australian citizenship and work rights check
- a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check
- a residential history check
- a referee check
- an employment, performance and conduct history check.
Certain positions may require additional checks, including:
- qualifications check
- conflict of interest check
- credit history check
- digital footprint check
- specific agency checks, including staff or customer integrity checks
- interviews with the individual.
Internal integrity checks
If you’re an existing or former Services Australia staff member or contingent workers, we conduct internal integrity checks of candidates.
If you apply for a job with us, we complete internal integrity checks before we make a formal offer of employment.
We do this to:
- identify any adverse conduct or performance records
- make sure you’re suitable for the position you’ve applied for
- make sure we’re maintaining standards of conduct, public confidence and trust.
Check process
All individuals must complete and submit any requested pre-engagement check information before you start.
You must also provide all requested supporting documentation outlined in the pack, including:
- proof of citizenship and identity documents
- statutory declarations if required
- qualifications documents.
If your eligibility and suitability check reveal any adverse results, our agency’s Personnel Security team will conduct an assessment which may involve:
- contacting you to discuss the results of their police checks
- contacting you to discuss their employment, performance and conduct history
- assessing the potential risks associated with granting you non-public access to the agency or the Australian Government’s resources.
You can read more about how Services Australia handles your personal information for employment purposes in our privacy policy.
Check timeframe
After we receive all your completed and correct documentation to process your eligibility and suitability screening, it may take up to 28 working days.
If there are issues with any of the checks or the documentation you’ve provided, we’ll contact you. This may mean the process could take longer.
As part of our employment application process, we only conduct a check after an individual has given their consent for use of their personal information. Delays to or not receiving this information can impact any offer of employment.