Victoria Police Checks

Before ordering a National Police History Check, consult with the relevant industry body, organisation or employer to determine the type of check they will accept.

Please ensure you are purchasing the correct police check. We do not offer a refund if you find out you purchased the wrong type of police check.

You will need a Federal Police Check (AFP) for the following:

• Residents of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Jervis Bay Territory and external Commonwealth territories
• People seeking employment with the Commonwealth Government
• People requiring a check under Commonwealth legislation
• Australian immigration purposes
• Overseas employment
• Overseas adoption
• Visa applications for overseas travel

This is not an exhaustive list as government regulations change constantly. This list is subject to change at any time without notice. Please check with the government department to whom you are applying.

Before ordering a National Police History Check or Federal Police Check, Clear to Work (CTW) highly recommends consulting with the relevant industry body, organisation or employer to determine the type of check they will accept.

Applicants must ensure they are purchasing the correct police check. CTW does not offer a refund to persons who have purchased the wrong type of police check.

CTW is not required to provide a refund for persons who have changed their mind after partially or fully completing the application process. Refunds are also not provided for the following:

• The check is no longer needed
• Found it cheaper somewhere else
• Employer wants to pay for the check after the applicant already paid for it
• If you have a single name, meaning that if your name is not in the common First, Middle, and Last Name format and you choose to proceed with a check application
• If you are under the age of 18 and unable to complete the check application
• If you are currently overseas (not in Australia) and are unable to complete your application
• Employer/relevant industry body or organisation wants the applicant to use a specific provider
• Selection of the wrong check type and/or check reason
• Data entry errors made by the applicant when entering their details into the application form or the document verification service
• Not providing the necessary or correct ID as per the minimum ID requirements, including not providing a selfie photo – Click here to view the ID requirements
• Not being able to provide .jpg or .png images of identification documents
• Checks already submitted to National Police Checking Service or Australian Federal Police
• Checks that have already been completed and issued
• Submissions for checks Clear to Work are not authorised to process – Click here to read the list
• Duplicate submissions of police check applications
• Lack of detail provided by the applicant when providing details for the application for a criminal history check
• False/incorrect information provided in the application for a criminal history check
• Not thoroughly completing the online application process
• Applications that have not been completed by the applicant within 28 days of purchase
• Applicants who do not retrieve their check from our system within 90 days (checks and ID documentation expire and are destroyed after 90 days)

CTW cannot expedite the police check process and do not offer refunds if you do not receive your police check in time for an application you might be lodging. Ensure you allow yourself plenty of time.

This policy is subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement entered into with Clear to Work Pty. Ltd. to provide its services.

Police check applicants are also held to the Behavioural Expectations Policy If an applicant is found non-compliant to this policy, a refund may not be provided.

If you feel your reason for requiring a refund falls outside of those listed above, please email our friendly support team at info@cleartowork.com.au to be considered for a refund. Kindly include your first name, surname, date of birth, a reference number (if you have it) and a brief description of why you require a refund. Your claim will be assessed by our team and you will be advised the outcome via email in five business days. In some cases, your case may be escalated to the Clear to Work executive management team for consideration.

All refunds incur a $9.50 incl. GST administration fee.

Your privacy is extremely important to us! 

This Privacy Policy relates to the personal information that we collect from you as a customer, supplier, visitor to our site, a job applicant or as someone who engages with us through social media, other digital services, correspondence via email or in person as a member of the public.

The personal information we collect:

The personal information we collect will depend on the nature of your interaction with us. It will only ever be information essential to the requirements of the products and services we offer.

The information we collect may include but is not limited to:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Contact information
• Current and past work history
• Current and past residential addresses
• Academic credentials
• Credit card or other payment details
• Referee information
• Licences and operator permits
• Passports and other identification
• Credit history information
• Personal information

Personal information can also include any information or an opinion of an applicant (whether that data be correct or not) and ‘sensitive’ information.

Sensitive information can include information or an opinion regarding the data we collected through applications and consent you submit to use as well as contact of people and agencies who may hold (or be in the public domain) information about you. We will always ask your consent to carry out the checks and obtain the data only by lawful and fair means.

We may also collect other information, some of which may be personal information, including information about your order history with us, which areas of our site you visit and records of your interactions with us.

Collection of personal information

Personal information is collected directly from you when you sign on as a user, order checks, enter into arrangements with us, correspond with us, or provide feedback to us.

We will record, collect and hold information about your transactions with us. We may monitor and record your communications with us (including email and telephone) for security, dispute resolution and training purposes.

Depending on the nature of our interaction with you, we may collect personal information from third parties. For example, when you order a check, the verified data will be collected from a third party source.

The reason we collect personal information

If you are an individual the reasons we collect personal information about you are:

• to check and verify that the information you have provided and the personal information located from other sources is correct;
• to administer and provide our products and services to you;
• to communicate with you, our customer;
to protect against fraud or other misuse or loss of data; and to understand the needs of our
• to ensure your security when visiting our website.

If you are a corporate user the reasons we collect personal information about you are:

• to check and verify that the information you have provided and the personal information located from other sources is correct;
• to comply with our legal obligations to know who has access to the personal information of individuals on our system;
• to administer and provide our products and services to you and your employer;
• to better communicate with our customer;
• to understand the needs of our customers and continuously develop and improve our products and services;
• to protect against fraud or other misuse or loss of data; and
• to ensure your security when visiting our website and to learn which areas of the site are of most interest to you (see the section ‘cookies’ below).

Disclosure of your information

We will disclose your information in accordance with the services we provide.

If you are a customer, to electronically verify your identity documents, it is necessary to disclose those identity documents to a third party supplier. To conduct a check, it is necessary to disclose some of your personal information to the entity that will verify the accuracy of your information. For a check relating to another country, that entity will be in that other country and so your information must be disclosed overseas.

In some circumstances are required by law to disclose your personal information to various authorities.

Access to your personal information

You have a right to access your personal information held by us. There is no charge to put in a request to see your information and we can provide you with general information such as your name, address and contact details.

If you believe that any information is incorrect or out of date you may, of course, ask us to correct it.

However, we may need to charge you a small administration fee to cover our costs if you want to access more detailed information or take copies of information on your file.

If you wish to access information or to lodge a complaint about our privacy practices, please put your request or complaint in writing and send it to:

Privacy Officer

Clear to Work

21 Nundah Street

Nundah QLD 4012

Australia

The security of your information

Your information is stored on a secure database located in an Australian owned and based data centre.

We aim to ensure that any details are securely protected from misuse, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure by way of maintaining:

• Physical security by preventing unauthorised access to our premises;
• Offsite data storage in a Melbourne based and owned datacentre
• Computer network security including password security to prevent unauthorised access;
• Communication security; and
• Limiting access to authorised staff.

Checked information is retained for of three months and then destroyed. Forms submitted to carry out checks are audited by some of our suppliers and these will be held in line with these agencies policies (e.g., CrimTrac).

Payment details and credit card information is not stored in our system. We use a payment gateway to process credit card payments and we cannot see or access your information.

Identification documents submitted to our website are deleted as soon as your check is received back from the Police. This is in accordance with Australian privacy laws.

Cookies

Cookies are small data files that are downloaded from our web servers and stored on your hard drive. It is a string of letters and numbers that uniquely identify the computer you are using and the Username and password you have used to register at the site.

We use a cookie that exists only for the actual time you are logged onto our system. These cookies ensure greater security for you by authenticating and identifying your registration for the secure areas of the site, without the need for you to re-entre information.

You may configure your browser to refuse to accept cookies. You can delete cookies from your hard drive. However, doing so may hinder your access to information within our site.

Protection of privacy

Access to the National Police Checking Service (Service) under which NCCHCs are provided is administered by the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002 (Cth). The Service also operates in accordance with all relevant Commonwealth, state and territory legislation applicable to the information collected, used and disclosed for the purposes of a police check.

Every effort has been made in the design of the Service to protect the privacy of applicants at all times. In particular, as part of our contractual arrangements with Accredited Bodies, the ACIC requires that:

• all Accredited Bodies comply with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), as set out in Schedule 1 to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth); and
• each accredited body’s privacy policy adheres to the requirements in the APPs.

Retention and disposal of personal information relating to NCCHCs

In addition to the requirements set out above, the ACIC’s contract mandates that all Accredited Bodies (e.g., Clear to Work) retain each NCCHC application and any identity documents remotely presented by an applicant for a period of 12 months after the receipt of the check to which the application relates (retention period). This is for dispute, auditing and compliance purposes. It is imperative that the ACIC undertakes these activities to ensure that Accredited Bodies are following guidelines and processes which ultimately assist in protecting the Australian community.

After the retention period has ended, Accredited Bodies are required to dispose of the application and identity documents within three months.

The contractual obligations set out in the agreement between Clear to Work and the ACIC are what govern Clear to Work’s access and use of the Service. Under these existing terms, there is no earlier applicant information disposal mechanism available and we must comply with the prescribed timeframes for the retention of applicant information.

More information

You can request further information about the way we manage the personal information that we hold by writing to:

Privacy Officer

Clear to Work

21 Nundah Street

Nundah QLD 4012

Australia

Direct marketing offers and information

The details you give us may be used to inform you about any special offers we think will be of interest to you and to update you on new products and services or changes to our website.

We may also send you details of offers or services provided by our business partners and related entities.

You may at any time choose not to receive these communications. Doing so will not cost you anything, and we will aim to ensure you stop receiving any unwanted communications as soon as possible.

Terms and Conditions of Use

This website is owned and operated by Clear to Work Pty Ltd ABN 56 114 229 499 of 21 Nundah Street, Nundah QLD 4012 and will be referred to as ‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘us’ in this Terms of Use policy.

By using this site (check.cleartowork.com.au), you agree you have read, understood, and accepted these Terms of Use and agree to be bound by them.

If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, please do not use our site.

To complete the online police check application form, you will need the following:

• A unique email address (not previously used by another applicant)
• All names you have been known by
• Five (5) years of residential address history for National History Police Checks and ten (10) for Australian Federal Police Checks
• Date and place of birth
• Contact details
• Meet the ID requirements which includes providing a ‘selfie’ with your photo ID
• Be over 18 years of age
• Be residing in Australia

SINGLE NAMES – Please note, if you have a single name (i.e., your name is not in the common FIRST and LAST name format), we will be unable to process a police check for you as our system cannot accommodate single names. PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE A POLICE CHECK IF YOU HAVE A SINGLE NAME.

A quick note for those considering a Volunteer Check:

Checks submitted for personal probity reasons where a person must provide a check to represent themselves as a fit and proper person are not generally considered a volunteer. Non-employment reasons that do not meet the Volunteer check type include:

• tenancy (rental) purposes
• social media participation reasons
• insurance related purposes or to support business that operate on private premises
• placing an Au Pair or overseas students in a family home
• participation in television productions
• family day care providers (operating on a commercial basis) who require checks for any residents on the premises where in-home care is being provided to children.

As part of the Terms and Conditions of use, you must also review the ID requirements for the ID required to complete your check.

Refund Policy

Please checked the exclusions page to ensure the police check we offer is valid for your purpose (we do not offer a refund if our check is not valid for your purpose). Before purchasing a National Police History Check or Federal Police Check, Clear to Work (CTW) highly recommends consulting with the relevant industry body, organisation or employer to determine the type of check they will accept.

Applicants must ensure they are purchasing the correct police check. CTW does not offer a refund to persons who have purchased the wrong type of police check.

CTW is not required to provide a refund for persons who have changed their mind after partially or fully completing the application process. Refunds are also not provided for the following:

• The check is no longer needed
• Found it cheaper somewhere else
• Employer wants to pay for the check after the applicant already paid for it
• If you have a single name, meaning that if your name is not in the common First, Middle, and Last Name format and you choose to proceed with a check application
• If you are under the age of 18 and unable to complete the check application
• If you are currently overseas (not in Australia) and are unable to complete your application
• Employer/relevant industry body or organisation wants the applicant to use a specific provider
• Selection of the wrong check type and/or check reason
• Data entry errors made by the applicant when entering their details into the application form or the document verification service
• Not providing the necessary or correct ID as per the minimum ID requirements, including not providing a selfie photo – Click here to view the ID requirements
• Not being able to provide .jpg or .png images of identification documents
• Checks already submitted to National Police Checking Service or Australian Federal Police
• Submissions for checks Clear to Work are not authorised to process – Click here to read the list
• Duplicate submissions of police check applications
• Lack of detail provided by the applicant when providing details for the application for a criminal history check
• False/incorrect information provided in the application for a criminal history check
• Not thoroughly completing the online application process
• Applications that have not been completed by the applicant within 28 days of purchase
• Applicants who do not retrieve their check from our system within 90 days (checks and ID documentation expire and are destroyed after 90 days)

CTW cannot expedite the police check process and do not offer refunds if you do not receive your police check in time for an application you might be lodging. Ensure you allow yourself plenty of time.

This policy is subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement entered into with Clear to Work Pty. Ltd. to provide its services.

Police check applicants are also held to the Behavioural Expectations Policy. If an applicant is found non-compliant to this policy, a refund may not be provided.

If you feel your reason for requiring a refund falls outside of those listed above, please email our friendly support team at info@cleartowork.com.au to be considered for a refund. Kindly include your first name, surname, date of birth, a reference number (if you have it) and a brief description of why you require a refund. Your claim will be assessed by our team and you will be advised the outcome via email in five business days. In some cases, your case may be escalated to the Clear to Work executive management team for consideration.

All refunds incur a $9.50 incl. GST administration fee.

Retrieving Your Check Results

National Police History Checks: Your check results will be available for download from your account for a period of three months. If you do not download a copy in that time, you will need to submit a new application.

Police agencies aim to process 95% of police checks within ten business days, noting that:

• 70% of all checks are completed within one business day
• 25% are completed within ten business days as they’ve been referred to one or more police agencies because an individual’s name is similar to a person of interest.
• 5% may take 15 business days or more (depending on the complexity of the check).

Processing a police check can take longer if the applicant shares similar details with other individuals recorded in police systems, particularly if they have a common name.

Please Note: Once submitted to the National Police Checking Service, Clear to Work has NO control over how long they take to process your police check.

AFP Checks: Your AFP check results will be available for download from your account for a period of three months. If you do not download a copy in that time, you will need to submit a new application.

Should you choose to purchase a hard copy of your AFP check results, please know that you can use your digital results while you await your hard copy in the mail.

Processing time for an AFP National Police Check issued by the Australian Federal Police is approximately 15 – 20+ business days.

Please be aware that the Australian Federal Police may need to seek information from other police jurisdictions, resulting in a longer processing time.

Please allow sufficient time for your check to be processed and return to Clear to Work by post before making enquiries regarding your application.

Please Note: Once submitted to the Australian Federal Police, Clear to Work has NO control over how long they take to process your police check.

Incomplete application

You must complete your police check application within 28 days of payment.

If, for whatever reason, you fail to complete the application within this time including, without limitation, where we have requested further information from you, and you fail to respond, we will cancel your application. You will forfeit any money paid to us for the application.

We are released from all claims and any obligations to provide the police check in connection with that application.

Delays

We cannot expedite the police check process.

It is reasonable to expect that the Clear to Work Police Checks platform may experience periods of downtime for both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. If this downtime is 48 hours or less, no refunds will be provided however, an extension to your application may be provided on request. This will be at the discretion of Clear to Work.

We will use our best endeavours to provide information to you in a timely and expeditious manner. However, you agree to indemnify, release, discharge and hold harmless Clear to Work Pty Ltd, its directors, employees, officers, contractors and overseas agents from and against any and all losses, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses suffered or incurred by you in relation to any delays or failure to provide information on our site.

Jurisdiction

Your access to and use of our site is governed by and construed under the law in the State of Queensland. Each party irrevocably, generally and unconditionally submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any court specified in this jurisdiction. Intellectual property rights

You acknowledge and agree that all content and material available on our site is protected by copyrights, trademarks or other intellectual property rights and laws. No content or material on our site may be reproduced, adapted, linked to, distributed or used in any way without our prior written consent.

However, you may print or download one copy of the materials or content on our site on any single computer for your personal, non-commercial use, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices.

Links

We have not reviewed all or any of the sites linked to our site and are not responsible for the contents of any of those sites.

Passwords

Any and all passwords provided to you through our site are strictly private and confidential, and you must not disclose the password to any person.

Disclaimer

While we have endeavoured to ensure that the content and material on our site is free from error we do not warrant its accuracy, adequacy or completeness or that it is suitable for your intended use. Our site may not be continuously available.

Liability exclusion

Your use of our site is at your own risk. By using our site you agree at all times to indemnify, release, discharge and hold harmless Epolicecheck.com.au, its directors, employees, officers, contractors and overseas agents from and against any and all losses, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses suffered out of your use of this site.

Changes

We may change, suspend, limit, restrict or discontinue any aspect of our site at any time including the availability of and access to any feature, services, records or other material on our site without notice or liability.

Changes to Terms of Use

We reserve the right, at our discretion, to update or revise these Terms of Use.
Please check the Terms of Access periodically for changes.
Your continued use of our site following the posting of any changes to the Terms of Use indicates your acceptance of those changes.

Online National Police History Checks

Police agencies aim to process 95% of police checks within ten business days, noting that:

• 70% of all checks are completed within one business day
• 25% are completed within ten business days as they’ve been referred to one or more police agencies because an individual’s name is similar to a person of interest.
• 5% may take 15 business days or more (depending on the complexity of the check).

Processing a police check can take longer if the applicant shares similar details with other individuals recorded in police systems, particularly if they have a common name.

Please Note: Once submitted to the National Police Checking Service, Clear to Work has NO control over how long they take to process your police check.

Australian Federal Police Checks

Processing time for an AFP National Police Check issued by the Australian Federal Police is approximately 15 – 20+ business days.

Please be aware that the Australian Federal Police may need to seek information from other police jurisdictions, resulting in a longer processing time.

Please allow sufficient time for your check to be processed and return by post before making enquiries regarding your application.

Please Note: Once submitted to the Australian Federal Police, Clear to Work has NO control over how long they take to process your police check.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this document is to ensure that safe, healthy, and respectful engagement occurs between Clear to Work (CTW) and customers.

SCOPE

This policy and procedure refers to all CTW customers (past and present), staff, contractors, and any stakeholders involved in the running of business.

POLICY STATEMENT

CTW’s foundation for a stress-free and enjoyable workplace and customer engagement requires a clear framework of behavioural expectations from all parties.

CTW respects good business practices where CTW staff and stakeholders will be fair, honest, impartial, and professional at all times and follow all internal policies and procedures.

This framework is based on two (2) main pillars:

1. Respect for each other
Under no circumstances will the following behaviour be accepted or engaged with from any parties mentioned in the scope of this policy:

• Bullying
• Name calling
• Swearing
• Belligence
• Threats
• Mocking
• Contempt, disrespect or distain for a person’s culture, sexual proclivity, or gender
• Acts of aggression (verbal or written)
• Offensive language or rhetoric

2. Respect for Clear To Work
CTW strongly discourages the following behaviour from all parties mentioned in the scope of this policy:

• Writing unfounded, false, or defamatory information on public websites. If such claims are deemed to be unfounded, false, or defamatory in nature, CTW may respond by engaging legal action.
• Seeking external means of mediation and appeal, without first seeking guidance and support internally from CTW.

PROCEDURE

CTW will follow the below procedure when dealing with cases of unwarranted behaviours:

1. Receipt of unwarranted behaviour
On identification of a potential ‘unwarranted behaviour’ case, CTW staff members are required to forward all information and evidence immediately and directly to a/or all CTW Executive Managers (Compliance Manager, Chief Operations Officer, and Chief Executive Officer).

2. Review process and behaviour against the framework of behavioural expectations
The CTW Executive Managers will review and evaluate the parties involved, the product and service experience had by the customer, and the incident that has occurred resulting in the behaviour. On review of all information, management will decide if the behaviour falls into any of the main pillars mentioned in the Policy Statement.

3. Identification of breach and proportionate response
A case manager will then be allocated to ascertain the appropriate course of action. Responses are to be curated and in standardised format. Responses must always include information on appropriate means of complaints and/or appeals processes.

a. Respect for each other
CTW values the health and safety of its employees and students and does not, under any circumstances, tolerate the disrespectful treatment of staff.

Customers found engaging in these behaviours will be subject to the following:

• Will not be allowed to continue with their police check application if it has not yet been submitted
• If the check has been submitted, CTW will withdraw the application
• No refund will be provided

b. Respect for Clear To Work

Customers found engaging in these behaviours will be subject to the following:

• Have their check application withdrawn/cancelled
• No refund will be given
• Face engagement from CTW legal team

Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) is collecting your personal information in this form in order to conduct a National Police History Check (NPHC) on you. It does this through a contractual arrangement with Clear To Work Pty Ltd. ACIC has contractual arrangements with its Accredited Organisations to collect personal information on its behalf to support processes assessing the suitability of people applying for employment, Australian citizenship, appointment to positions of trust, volunteer service or for various licensing or registration schemes. Accredited Organisations and their customers (such as employers) use the personal information collected on this form and the resulting NPHC as part of their assessment process to determine your application. Some Accredited Organisations have a legislative basis for the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information.

ACIC recommends that you seek further information about any relevant/applicable legislative framework from the Accredited Organisation.

In some circumstances, Accredited Organisations may have arrangements with overseas entities for administrative or other purposes. ACIC recommends that you seek further information from Clear To Work Pty Ltd in circumstances where your information is likely to be disclosed to overseas recipients.

Unless statutory obligations require otherwise, the information provided on this form will not be used without your prior consent for any purpose other than in relation to the assessment of your suitability; or to maintain the records of ACIC and police agencies; or for law enforcement purposes. You will be required to complete another consent form for any future NPHCs.

National Police History Check (NPHC)

Information on this form will be used by ACIC and police agencies for checking action; it will also be used to update records held about you by ACIC and police agencies.

ACIC and police agencies will access their records to obtain and disclose Police History Information (PHI) that relates to you to:

• Clear To Work Pty Ltd

PHI may include outstanding charges, warrant information and criminal convictions/findings/pleas of guilt recorded against you.

PHI is disclosed according to applicable laws of the relevant jurisdiction and, in accordance with the relevant jurisdiction’s information release policies. Applicable laws include but are not limited to spent convictions legislation.

The following links may be helpful in sourcing information on spent convictions in your State/Territory:

Commonwealth www.comlaw.gov.au

New South Wales www.legislation.nsw.gov.au

Queensland www.legislation.qld.gov.au

South Australia www.legislation.sa.gov.au

Victoria Police www.police.vic.gov.au

Western Australia www.legislation.wa.gov.au

Northern Territory www.nt.gov.au/dcm/legislation/current.html

Australian Capital Territory www.legislation.act.gov.au

Tasmania www.thelaw.tas.gov.au

Limitations on accuracy and use of PHI

While every care has been taken by ACIC and police agencies to conduct a search of PHI that relates to the Applicant, the accuracy and quality of an NPHC issued by ACIC depends on accurate identification of the Applicant (including aliases), the comprehensiveness of police records and is based on the information provided in this form. If the Applicant does not complete the information requirements in this form, the success and validity of the NPHC will be compromised. It is in your interest to provide full and complete details in this form.

If for any reason you do not agree with the results of your NPHC, please notify Clear To Work Pty Ltd on info@cleartowork.com.au

21 Nundah Street, Nundah 4012, so that the NPCS dispute process can be initiated.

Provision of incomplete, false or misleading information

An Accredited Organisation and an Applicant must take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information collected or disclosed is accurate, complete and up to date.

You are asked to certify that the personal information you have provided on this form is correct.

It is a serious offence to provide false or misleading information on your application.