What is background screening in Australia?
Background screening is a set of checks on a person before you hire or engage them. In Australia it usually combines an identity check, a police check through the ACIC, a work rights check in VEVO and checks that fit the role. Most checks need the person’s consent, and spent convictions are generally off limits.
This guide is for employers who screen staff, including the businesses regulated by AUSTRAC from 1 July 2026. Facts come from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), Home Affairs and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC). All were checked on 21 October 2026.
What is background screening?
Background screening is a set of checks on a person before you hire or engage them. It confirms who they are and looks at their criminal history, work rights, qualifications and other records.
A single check answers one question, such as whether the person has a criminal record. Screening combines the checks a role needs. A cashier and a finance manager need different screens.
Each check reflects the records on the day it runs. That is why some employers repeat checks during employment. For a role-by-role list, see our guide to types of background checks for employment.
Which checks make up a background screen?
Five common background checks in Australia
| Check | What it shows | Who runs it | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity (Document Verification Service) | Whether the name and date of birth on an Australian identity document match the issuer’s record. Yes or no; it does not check the photo | The Attorney-General’s Department, for approved organisations | With the person’s consent |
| Police check | Police records released for the check’s purpose, after spent convictions laws apply | The ACIC with Australian police agencies, through accredited bodies | With the person’s informed consent |
| Work rights (VEVO) | A visa holder’s visa details and conditions, including work conditions. Not citizenship | Home Affairs | Free, with the visa holder’s permission |
| Sanctions | Whether a person or entity is on the Consolidated List under Australian sanctions laws | DFAT’s Australian Sanctions Office keeps the list; you or a provider check names against it | List published by DFAT |
| Bankruptcy | Personal insolvency records: bankruptcy, debt agreements and personal insolvency agreements. Individuals only | The Australian Financial Security Authority | A$15 a search, open to anyone |
Sources: IDMatch, About our services; ACIC, How the Service works; Home Affairs, Information for employers and labour hire organisations; DFAT, Consolidated List; Australian Financial Security Authority, Bankruptcy Register Search Reviewed
Most screens draw on five or six checks. Each one is run by a different body, and most need the person’s consent.
Identity comes first, because every other check relies on the name. The Document Verification Service checks whether the name and date of birth on an Australian identity document match the issuer’s record.
It answers yes or no and does not check the photo. The Attorney-General’s Department runs it for approved organisations, with the person’s consent. Our identity verification guide covers the methods.
Work rights matter for anyone who is not an Australian citizen or permanent resident. It is against the law to hire a non-citizen without a valid visa, or for work that breaches their visa conditions. Home Affairs says to check the visa in the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO), a free online system, with the visa holder’s permission.
VEVO cannot confirm citizenship. A citizen shows an Australian passport or citizenship certificate instead.
Qualifications are confirmed with the university or body that issued them. Some professions have a public register. Ahpra lists every health practitioner registered to practise in Australia, with any conditions on their registration.
How does a police check work?
- Who runs it
- The ACIC, with Australian police agenciesYou apply through an accredited body
- Consent
- Informed consent, for a stated purposeA different purpose needs consent again
- Turnaround
- About 70% within minutesThe service aims to finish 95% within 10 business days
- Validity
- No standard periodA point-in-time result. The organisation asking for it decides how old a result it accepts
- Reuse
- Not for a different purposeWhat police release depends on the purpose of the check
- Spent convictions
- Generally not releasedUnless the purpose is excluded, such as work with children
Sources: ACIC, How the Service works; ACIC, Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check validity; Australian Federal Police, Spent convictions laws and police checks Reviewed
The ACIC runs the National Police Checking Service with Australian police agencies. You apply through an accredited body, which submits a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check, the formal name for a police check.
The applicant gives informed consent for a stated purpose and proves their identity. Their details are then matched against national police records by name.
About 70% of checks are completed within minutes. The other 30% have a potential match and go to one or more police agencies to review by hand. The service aims to finish 95% within 10 business days.
Police then decide what to release, based on the purpose of the check and spent convictions laws. That is why a check for one purpose cannot be reused for another. A new purpose needs consent again.
Which convictions are spent?
A spent conviction is an older, less serious conviction that generally does not appear on a police check. The waiting period and rules depend on the jurisdiction:
- Commonwealth: spent after 10 years, or 5 for a juvenile, if the sentence was not more than 30 months’ jail and there was no reoffending
- Australian Capital Territory: spent automatically after 10 years, or 5 for a juvenile. Jail of more than 6 months and sexual offences are never spent
- Western Australia: the person applies to WA Police to have the offence spent
- Other states and the Northern Territory: usually 10 years for adults and 5 for juveniles, under each jurisdiction’s own law
Some purposes are excluded, so older convictions can be released. The Australian Federal Police lists work with children, in aged care, with people with disability and in hospitals among them.
Key point
Under the Commonwealth Spent Convictions Scheme, an employer must not take a spent conviction into account unless an exclusion applies or the person consents.
What do privacy laws require?
The Privacy Act covers Australian Government agencies and organisations with annual turnover over A$3 million, and some smaller businesses. If it covers you, it applies to how you collect and use screening results.
A criminal record is sensitive information under the Act. Under Australian Privacy Principle 3, you may collect sensitive information only with the person’s consent and only if it is reasonably necessary for your activities. Our guide to the Australian Privacy Principles covers the other rules.
Credit reports are off limits. The Act excludes employers from the definition of credit provider, so they cannot obtain a person’s consumer credit report, and a candidate need not hand one over.
A bankruptcy search is different. The Australian Financial Security Authority’s Bankruptcy Register Search covers personal insolvency records and costs A$15 a search.
The employee records exemption is narrower than many assume. It covers records of current and former employees, including their pre-employment checks. It does not cover unsuccessful applicants, or a recruiter or screening firm acting for you.
What must AML/CTF reporting entities do?
If AUSTRAC regulates your business, screening staff is part of your AML/CTF program. AUSTRAC calls it personnel due diligence, and it covers anyone who performs AML/CTF functions, including contractors.
Key point
Under Australia’s AML/CTF Act, a reporting entity must conduct personnel due diligence before engaging someone in an AML/CTF role, and throughout their engagement.
You assess the person’s skills and integrity, in proportion to the role’s risk. AUSTRAC lists integrity checks you may use: identity, police and bankruptcy checks, and sanctions and adverse media screening. It also lists references, qualifications and past disciplinary action.
Sanctions matter beyond AML. Dealing with a person on DFAT’s Consolidated List can be a serious criminal offence, so check names against it. Our sanctions screening guide explains how.
Document each assessment and decision, and set triggers for reassessment. For the cost of getting AML/CTF obligations wrong, see AML non-compliance penalties.
Frequently asked questions
Can you run a background check without consent?
Not for most checks. A police check needs the applicant’s informed consent, except in limited law enforcement, immigration and justice cases. VEVO needs the visa holder’s permission, and the Document Verification Service needs consent.
How long is a police check valid?
There is no standard period. The ACIC treats a result as a point-in-time check, so it reflects police records only on the day it is released. The organisation asking for it decides how old a result it accepts.
Can an employer see my credit report?
No. The OAIC says employers and recruiters are not credit providers, so credit reporting bodies cannot give them your consumer credit report. You do not have to provide one if asked.
Does a police check show spent convictions?
Generally not. Police apply spent convictions laws before they release a result. A check for an excluded purpose, such as work with children, can disclose older convictions.
Next steps
Write down which checks each role needs, and why. Then confirm you collect consent for each one and keep the results only as long as you need them.
StackGo’s IdentityCheck verifies identity and screens every party against politically exposed person (PEP), sanctions and adverse media inside the customer relationship management (CRM) or practice software your team already uses. Results are written back to the record. See how IdentityCheck supports AUSTRAC Tranche 2 compliance.
Sources
The facts on this page come from these sources, checked on 21 October 2026.
- ACIC: National Police Checking Service; How the Service works; Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check validity
- Australian Federal Police, Spent convictions laws and police checks
- OAIC: Criminal records; Real estate agents, employers and your credit report; Employee records exemption; Read the Australian Privacy Principles
- Home Affairs: Information for employers and labour hire organisations; Check visa conditions online (VEVO)
- AUSTRAC: Personnel due diligence (PDD); Anti-money laundering and counter terrorism laws cover thousands more businesses (1 July 2026)
- Registers: DFAT, Consolidated List; Australian Financial Security Authority, Bankruptcy Register Search; Ahpra, Register of practitioners
- IDMatch, About our services (Document Verification Service)