Compliant
Background Checks
Built for Australia

A pre-employment background check is a verification process that confirms key information about a candidate before you hire them - including their criminal history, employment record, qualifications, and identity. Australian employers use them to reduce hiring risk, protect their teams and clients, meet regulatory requirements, and avoid the cost of a wrongful hire. They're standard practice across healthcare, financial services, education, construction and many other sectors.

The most common checks for Australian employers are criminal history checks (police checks), employment history verification, identity checks, and education or qualification verification. Depending on the role and industry, employers may also add reference checks, credit checks, AML/sanctions screening, or licence verification. Avvanz offers more than 20 check types covering 150+ countries via the ScreenGlobal platform.

An AFP (Australian Federal Police) check is a nationally coordinated criminal history check covering records held by police agencies across all Australian states and territories. A state-based police check is conducted by the police service of a specific state or territory and may only return records from that jurisdiction. For most employment screening purposes, a nationally coordinated check is recommended as it provides broader coverage. Avvanz can advise on which is appropriate for each role.

Turnaround time varies depending on the type of check and the responsiveness of third-party sources. Simple checks like identity verification can be completed very quickly. Employment and education verification depends on how quickly previous employers and institutions respond. Avvanz makes unlimited verification attempts at source - which significantly reduces delays compared to providers who limit attempts - and provides real-time status tracking in ScreenGlobal throughout the process.

Yes. Under the Privacy Act 1988, employers must obtain written consent from a candidate before collecting their personal information for screening purposes. The consent must be informed - the candidate needs to understand what information is being collected, why, and how it will be used. Avvanz's ScreenGlobal platform includes a built-in, Privacy Act compliant consent workflow that handles this automatically as part of the ordering process.

Yes. Avvanz covers 150+ countries via the ScreenGlobal platform, meaning you can run international criminal checks, employment verification and education checks for candidates who have studied or worked abroad. This is particularly relevant in Australia given the high proportion of skilled migrants in industries like healthcare, construction and technology.