Communities and Social Inclusion Department Screening Unit

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:03): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion a question regarding relevant history checks for volunteers.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: The government has announced in recent days a $1.3 million spend on the screening unit to deal with the dramatic increase in applications for mandatory background checks for volunteers and jobseekers. It has been reported that applications have surged by some 66 per cent and, due to insufficient funding and infrastructure within the screening unit, security clearances have been delayed in some cases for several months.

This is not an unknown phenomenon. Yesterday, it was reported in The Australian that Western Australia's Department for Child Protection has also taken too long to process checks for those working with children. A report tabled in parliament found alarmingly that some 80 per cent of applications being processed at the end of March had not been screened. Obviously, this is not a situation that South Australia wants to endure.

Currently in South Australia there is no offence for someone who is working without having their relevant history screening. As the act stands, the requirement falls upon the responsible authority to ensure checks are undertaken, but no personal responsibility falls on the individual, who may work without clearance. Sole traders and those in partnerships may well fall outside our legislative framework as well. There is, however, provision within the Statutes Amendment (Assessment of Relevant History) Bill, which requires sole traders and those operating in partnerships to undergo relevant history checks, and this has yet to commence. My questions are:

1. When will the section 8BA provision relating to sole traders or partnerships commence?

2. How many sole traders or partnerships does the government expect will be caught under this provision and therefore required to undergo screening?

3. How much additional funding has the government dedicated to the screening of sole traders and partnerships to ensure that South Australia does not end up in a screening crisis that is similar to that seen currently in Western Australia?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:05): I thank the honourable member for his most important question, which belongs in the portfolio of the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion. As it happens, however, I have some documentation in front of me which may answer part of his questions at the very least. I am advised it is the government's responsibility to protect vulnerable members of the community—obviously. That the community expects this of us goes without saying, and we take this responsibility very seriously. This means that, depending on the role that they perform and the sector that they work in, employees and volunteers may require a screening check from the department's screening unit (Department for Communities and Social Inclusion).

From 1 July 2014, there are new requirements and regulations under the Disability Services Act 1993 in relation to screening requirements for people working in funded disability services. I am sure everybody in this chamber will agree that it is our duty of care to ensure these vulnerable groups are afforded a very high level of protection. From 1 July there has been an increase in the fees for the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion's screening services. As a result of increasing costs associated with conducting these important checks in line with increasing community expectations, the nature and scope of the screening process has changed, making it much more complex and therefore somewhat more expensive.

The 2014-15 budget included increased appropriation to the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion of $1.3 million. This ensures the impact of fee increases on volunteers is minimised, as well as enabling important service improvements, such as online application processes, that will benefit applicants. New fees have been introduced as of 1 July 2014 to ensure that the fees more accurately reflect the costs of conducting an assessment. The fees have been increased, I am advised, to $99.55 (GST inclusive) for child-related and disability services employment screening for paid employees, $82.50 (GST inclusive) for all other forms of screening for paid employees, and $55 (GST inclusive) for all forms of screening conducted for volunteers and students on placement.

Where an employer requires more than one type of check, they will now be charged for each check. Volunteers will only be charged once. The government will subsidise the cost of conducting these volunteer checks through additional appropriation to the screening unit. Screening checks, I am advised, are valid for three years. The time taken for the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion screening unit to process a screening application depends on the relevance, complexity and the amount of information requiring assessment.

Where no relevant information is identified, the turnaround time for processing an application, I am advised, is approximately 20 business days. Names which register as a match on any of the databases assessed by the screening unit may require additional time beyond the 20 days to process. From the period 4 November 2013 to 16 May 2014, an average of 84 per cent of applications were processed within 20 days of receipt. The remainder required further investigation and assessment. If further assessment is required, an application may take more than eight weeks to process, and these time frames are disclosed on the DCSI website, I am advised.

It is not possible to directly compare these time frames with other jurisdictions due to differences in respective legislative obligations and procedures, differing from state to state. It should be noted though that child-related employment checks undertaken by the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion's screening unit assess a wide range of available information in Australia, not only criminal history information. This supports child-related employment screening as an essential mechanism in protecting South Australia's children and young people from harm. The government makes every effort to fully investigate all relevant matters pertaining to applicants for child-related employment screening.