Farm and farmer employment police checks

Australia's farming sector is a significant contributor to the country's economy, contributing roughly $60 billion annually (3% of the GDP). It includes various agricultural industries such as cattle and sheep grazing, dairy farming, crop cultivation, and horticulture. The main crops grown in Australia include wheat, sugarcane, barley, fruits, and vegetables. The country is also a major exporter of beef, dairy products, and other agricultural commodities.

The agricultural sector employs around 1.6 million people in Australia. It is the largest employer in many rural and regional areas, providing jobs for farmers, farm workers and those working in related industries such as processing and transportation.

The requirements for employment in the farming sector in Australia vary depending on the specific job and industry. Still, in general, the following qualifications and skills are helpful for those looking to work in the sector:

• ✔ Relevant working experience on a farm or related field
• ✔ Vocational qualifications for specific areas like horticulture
• ✔ Physical fitness and high mechanical skills
• ✔ Good communication skills and knowledge of safety procedures.

In recent years, a police check is becoming an essential requirement for farming jobs in Australia. This webpage explores police checks for farm and farmers' employment in Australia.

A police check, also known as a nationally coordinated criminal history check (NCCHC), is a background check used to determine an individual's disclosable criminal history. It is typically used by employers and decision makers to ensure that the people they are hiring or working with do not have a criminal record which may impact their work or the health and safety of those around them.

A police check typically includes information about an individual's criminal convictions, pending charges or non-conviction criminal charges.

A police check is considered important for farming-related jobs for several reasons:

• ✔ Safety: Many farming-related jobs involve working with animals, machinery and heavy equipment. Employers want to ensure that employees do not have a history of criminal activity that could put themselves or others at risk.
• ✔ Trust: Many farming-related jobs involve working with valuable assets such as livestock, crops and equipment. Employers want to ensure that employees do not have a history of theft or other criminal activities that could compromise the trust that is placed in them.
• ✔ Compliance: Some farming-related jobs may require employees to have a police check as a condition of compliance with industry regulations, insurance requirements, or other laws.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) works with accredited bodies and police agencies to make the police checking service accessible.

Here's how you can obtain a police check for farming-related employment:

You can apply through any police agency or an accredited body in Australia. The application process involves filling out an online police check form with details like your name, address, date of birth and purpose of the check. You'll also need to upload identification documents. They include:

• ✔ One commencement ID document
• ✔ One primary use in the community document
• ✔ Two secondary use in the community documents
• ✔ A biometric link to establish linkage with the claimed identity

In this stage, the police agency or accredited body processing your application first confirms your identity. Then they send your details to the National Police Checking Service Support System (NSS).

The NSS runs a name-matching algorithm to find a potential match based on the candidate's information. If it doesn't find one, the system instantly returns a 'no disclosable court outcome (NDCO)' to the body requesting the check. If the system does find one, it forwards it to the relevant police agency(s) for manual processing. The police agency(s) job is to verify the validity of the match. Once that is established, the next step is the vetting process. Here, the police agency applies the spent conviction scheme and information release policies to determine which criminal records can be released before sending the final check result back.

Once the police agency or accredited body gets the police check result, they notify the applicant.

The processing time for a police check will vary depending on the type of check and the agency. However, about 70% of police check applications are processed in a few minutes because the system instantly returns an NDCO. However, the other 30% may be referred for manual processing, which can take longer than 10 business days.

Australian National Character Check (ANCC) charges a base fee of $52.90 + GST per police check.

The validity of a police check can vary depending on the organisation requesting it. Some organisations may require a police check to be less than three (3) months old, while others may accept a police check up to 1 year old.

ANCC provides efficient police checks for farming-related employment. Our services are suitable for both individuals and businesses in the agricultural space.

Are you seeking farming-related employment? Do you need a police check as part of the recruitment process? You can trust ANCC to deliver efficient police checks.

ANCC's business portal is ideal for hiring managers in the agricultural sector looking to manage bulk police checks. The innovative portal makes it easy for approved businesses to order, track, monitor, and compare multiple police checks for candidates, aiding in the hiring decision-making process. All businesses are subject to a process of approval prior to being granted access.