Beyond Merit: Ensuring Suitability in Public Sector Recruitment:
How PSPF’s New Screening Requirements are Transforming Hiring Practices
If you recruit for the public sector, recent changes mean your hiring process has fundamentally shifted. No longer can you simply recommend the best candidate for a job based solely on merit. Now, you must also assess the candidate’s “suitability” before they are offered a position.This change underscores the need to evaluate both competence and character in recruitment.The scope of these changes is broad, encompassing departmental public servants, employees, and contractors of State-Owned Enterprises, Statutory Authorities, Corporate Commonwealth Entities, and other similar agencies governed by the Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF). Personnel security is a cornerstone of good protective security management, serving as a critical risk mitigation tool against malicious trusted insiders and preventing potential hostile acts.
New Home Affairs PSPF Policy and Guidelines
To achieve the PSPF personnel security outcome, each entity—including external recruitment service providers—must ensure that its employees and contractors are suitable to access Australian Government resources and meet appropriate standards of integrity and honesty. A “clean” national police history check alone is no longer sufficient to determine these standards.
16 Pre-Employment Eligibility
16.1 Pre-Employment Screening
All personnel working in and for Australian Government entities are required to undergo pre-employment screening, regardless of whether the position requires a security clearance or not. Personnel includes security-cleared and non-security-cleared personnel, contractors, and others who will have access to Australian Government resources, including technology systems, assets, and facilities.Pre-employment screening provides a level of assurance that personnel are suitable to access Australian Government resources and is a primary activity used to mitigate an entity’s personnel security risks. PSPF pre-employment screening checks may be supplemented by entity-specific screening where required. Pre-employment screening takes place after the conclusion of the merit selection process but prior to an offer of employment or contract. Completing screening prior to engagement is particularly important for positions that have been identified as requiring a security clearance.
16.1.1 Pre-Employment Screening Checks
Pre-employment screening checks, including related security clearance vetting and ongoing suitability checks, are conducted in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. Authorised Vetting Agencies may conduct pre-employment screening concurrently with security vetting to permit streamlined engagement of personnel. If conducted concurrently, the Authorised Vetting Agency should record the vetting determination against the criteria and identify whether a decision relates to a pre-employment screening threshold or a security clearance threshold. Pre-employment screening checks for personnel transferring within the Australian Government may have already been conducted. The gaining entity should confirm what checks have been undertaken by the losing entity. Additional checks can be done to meet the specific entity employment requirements of the gaining entity or if the check needs to be revalidated.
16.1.1.1 Identity Checks
An identity check helps to establish confidence in a person’s identity and provides entities with a level of assurance about the prospective employee. The National Identity Proofing Guidelines provide a more robust approach to identity proofing than the traditional ‘100-point check’ and align with international best-practice standards.
16.1.1.2 Eligibility Check
Requirement 0120 | PER | All entities | 31 October 2024: The entity obtains assurance of each person’s suitability to access Australian Government resources, including their agreement to comply with the government’s policies, standards, protocols, and guidelines that safeguard resources from harm, during pre-employment screening. Suitability is defined in the Adjudicative Standard.
| Check Type | Description | Cleard Life Solution? |
|---|---|---|
| Employment History Check (Integrity & Reliability) | Reviews employment history over at least the previous 5 years, identifying unexplained gaps or anomalies. Provides insight into employment terminations, reliability, and potential concealment of negative employment outcomes. May involve contacting former employers or human resources personnel to verify employment details. | 
Yes – included |
| Residential History Check (Integrity & Reliability) | Verifies the individual’s current permanent residence and checks residential history for at least 5 years. Ensures that the applicant can substantiate their identity and community ties. If documentation is lacking, the entity assesses whether explanations are reasonable. |
Yes – included |
| Referee Check (Integrity & Reliability) | Involves contacting professional referees to confirm the individual’s quality, suitability, and integrity. May uncover substantiated complaints, investigations, or security-related concerns. Recommended to cover at least the last 3 months of employment or activity. |
Yes – optional and/or BYO for us review. |
| National Police Check (Integrity & Reliability) | A criminal history assessment using biographic details. Ensures clarity on what convictions preclude employment. Must be conducted under the correct ‘no exclusion’ scheme as required. Typically provides Commonwealth convictions for the preceding 10 years (subject to spent convictions rules) and varies by state/territory jurisdiction. |
Yes. Criminal history is thoroughly checked. Optional AFP Police check. |
| Credit History Check (Integrity & Reliability) | Assesses financial history, potential defaults, and overall financial stability. Helps identify financial stress that could increase risks to integrity and reliability. Typically obtained through accredited financial credit check organizations. |
Yes. Financial history is thoroughly checked. ITSA Bankruptcy check done if/as required. |
| Qualification Check | Confirms academic and professional qualifications with issuing authorities (e.g., universities, technical colleges, professional associations) to ensure the candidate holds declared credentials. |
Yes – included. |
| Conflict-of-Interest Declaration Check | Identifies potential conflicts between the individual’s employment and personal, professional, or business interests. Recommended to guide staff in recognizing, declaring, and managing conflicts of interest. Entities may require all personnel, not just contractors, to complete a conflict-of-interest declaration. |
Yes – checked. Conflict-of-interest declaration remains with client. |
| Entity-Specific Checks | Additional checks tailored to entity risks not addressed by the minimum recommended checks. Can include drug and alcohol testing, deeper financial probity checks, or psychological assessments. Entities should seek appropriate advice (APSC, AHRC, or legal) before implementing. |
Yes – optional. We can tailor and customize our interview scope and the risk assessment with your suitability criteria to offer you your personalized Organisational Suitability Assessment. |
Note: AS4811 requires a 1:1 interview and whole of person risk assessment (eg the Adjudicative Standard) to be conducted every time – not just on complex cases.
Conclusion
Cleard Life Vetting Agency is the first Australian company to be certified as AS4811 conforming with all 92 musts and shoulds in the standard. Our DNA is in personnel security. Our services are specifically designed to meet these updated requirements. Whether for security-cleared or non-security-cleared personnel, we can assist with your suitability screening needs. Don’t leave your recruitment processes exposed to risk or delay—contact us today to ensure compliance and confidence in every hiring decision.
For more info: https://www.cleard.life/public-sector.html
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