Shopping centre employment background checks in Australia

Australian National Character Check (ANCC) provides nationally coordinated criminal history checks to people working in Australia's shopping centre industry.

Check timeframes: 70 percent of the checks are returned to applicants within 24 hours. Results are emailed on the same day they are received. Approximately 30 percent of checks may be referred to one or more police agencies and can take longer than 15 business days or more to be returned, due to the manual nature of this process.

Do you work in HR in an Australian shopping centre industry and need background checks for workers? Australian National Character Check (ANCC) provides a streamlined solution for nationally coordinated criminal history checks via our business portal.

Please apply for your nationally coordinated criminal history check via the individual portal here.

If the purpose of the check is for employment, individual applicants should select the “Employment” check category on their application form. If the purpose of the check is for licensing, please select the “Licensing” check category on the application form.

Businesses (shopping centres) seeking bulk background checks can apply for access to the ANCC Business Portal.

Shopping centres are a hub of activity, with thousands of employees working to keep these busy complexes running smoothly. However, with access to sensitive information, cash, and vulnerable customers, shopping centres must ensure their employees are trustworthy and reliable. In Australia, this often means conducting employment background checks on potential employees in specific roles.

This web page explores the checks for shopping centre employment in Australia, including the legal requirements, procedures, and some FAQs for conducting these checks effectively and fairly. We'll also explore why you need the checks for employment in shopping centres.

An employment check, also known as a background check or nationally coordinated criminal history check (NCCHC), is a process of verifying a person's criminal history or lack thereof. It is often used as a screening tool by employers, government agencies, and other organizations to assess a person's suitability for a particular role or position.

Shopping centres in Australia are responsible for providing a safe and secure environment for employees and customers. As such, they must ensure that their employees are trustworthy and reliable and do not pose a risk to the safety or security of others.

Many shopping centre roles involve handling cash, working with vulnerable customers such as children or the elderly, or accessing sensitive information. To ensure that these employees are suitable for these roles, shopping centres may require them to undergo a background check as part of the employment screening process.

A check can reveal any criminal history or relevant charges or convictions the applicant may have. This information can be used to assess whether the person is suitable for the role and whether they can be trusted to work responsibly and professionally in a shopping centre environment.

In addition to legal requirements, conducting employment checks for shopping centre employment can also help safeguard the shopping centre's reputation and enhance public confidence in its operations. Shopping centres can create a more positive and trusted image among customers and stakeholders by demonstrating a commitment to safety and security.

Here are the steps to securing an employment background check for shopping centre employment:

You can apply for a background check by completing an online application form. As part of the process, you'll provide information regarding your name, address, date of birth, and purpose of the check (in this case, shopping centre employment). You'll also have to upload three identification documents and they are:

• ✔ One commencement of ID document
• ✔ One primary use in community document
• ✔ One secondary use in community documents

The final part of the application process is paying the employment check fee, which will depend on your check provider.

Once the background check provider receives your completed application, they review your submission and identity documents to ensure they are valid.

This system they use for verification runs a name-matching algorithm on its extensive criminal databases to detect a potential criminal record match. If the system doesn't find one, it assumes you do not have a criminal record and instantly returns a 'no disclosable court outcome (NDCO)' to the background check provider. If it finds one, the system forwards it to manual processing. Here, they ensure that the criminal record belongs to the applicant. Once confirmed, they apply the spent conviction scheme to determine which criminal offences are releasable on the NCCHC certificate before sending back the final result to the check provider.

Your check provider will notify you once they obtain the result.

About 70% of background check applications return an NDCO and are processed within a day. The other 30% pull out a potential criminal history match and take up to 15 business days for the manual verification process.

Roles that involve working with vulnerable people such as children or the elderly, handling cash or valuables, or accessing sensitive information may require employment checks.

Sometimes, a person's criminal history may disqualify them from specific roles or positions. However, this will depend on the particular requirements of the role and the nature and severity of the person's criminal history. Shopping centres must comply with anti-discrimination laws and ensure that employment decisions are fair and transparent.

While an employment background check has no expiry date, employers set an acceptable time frame based on their risk assessment and organizational requirements.

ANCC provides efficient and affordable background-checking services to individuals seeking shopping centre employment and shopping centre businesses. Check out our portals for:

Are you looking to work in a shopping centre? You probably need a background check, and you can now order one seamlessly through ANCC. ANCC allows you to order, track, and monitor your check application in real-time, and we get your result in the shortest possible time.

HR managers looking to hire for shopping centres can now rely on ANCC's business portal to automate the background-checking process for applicants. ANCC's business portal allows you to order, track, monitor, and compare bulk employment background check applications in real-time. With ANCC, you are guaranteed to get the criminal record information you need to make the best hiring decisions.