A lower bar for employers regarding criminal records


Employers now have more discretion when considering criminal records, but the exact meaning of an ‘irrelevant’ record remains unclear.

A change made in October 2019 to anti-discrimination laws lowers the bar for employers to reject job applications from people with criminal records. However, some questions remain about how the change will be interpreted in practice.  

Prior to the amendment, the Human Rights Commission Regulations 1989 prohibited employers from discriminating against an employee or prospective employee on the basis of their criminal record, unless the employer could establish that the criminal record rendered the employee/prospective employee unable to fulfil the inherent requirements of the relevant position. 

This meant employers had to be certain that the criminal record prevented the person from carrying out the essential duties of the position. In practice, this could be difficult to establish. 

The Attorney-General and Industrial Relations Minister, Christian Porter, said the need for change was demonstrated by a 2018 case involving insurance company Suncorp which was found to have engaged in unlawful discrimination when it withdrew an offer of employment it made to a man who had failed to disclose convictions for child pornography offences. 

Suncorp argued the man’s record demonstrated that he was not of sufficient character and integrity to be trusted to hold the position, which required him to work unsupervised from his home and deal with sensitive company data. 

However, the Australian Human Rights Commission rejected Suncorp’s claims and found that the man had been discriminated against because his criminal record alone did not suggest he was unable to perform the inherent requirements of the position.

New regulations – a lower bar yet some ambiguity

A notable change under the revised regulations (Australian Human Rights Commission Regulations 2019) (2019 Regulations) is to introduce the word ‘irrelevant’. This means the 2019 Regulations now prohibit discrimination on the basis of a person’s ‘irrelevant criminal record’. So it should now be easier for employers to exercise reasonable discretion against an employee or prospective employee if they have a criminal record that’s relevant to their role.

The amendment means employers will arguably now be free to consider a broader range of factors when considering how a person’s criminal record affects their current or prospective employment. 

For example, in determining whether a criminal record is ‘irrelevant’ an employer may be able to take into account things such as the nature of the offence, the time since conviction, the nature of the relevant position, the nature of the business and so on. 

However, it is not entirely clear how broad these factors can be. 

The 2019 Regulations don’t define the term ‘irrelevant criminal record’, and there is currently little guidance as to its meaning, creating a new grey area. Accordingly, there is still some uncertainty about how the term will be interpreted in practice. 

The Explanatory Statement to the 2019 Regulations does not provide any guidance as to the meaning of an ‘irrelevant criminal record’. However, a 2018 media release from the Attorney-General’s department, states that the amendment “should provide employers greater ability to exclude candidates who previously committed a dishonesty offence from positions of employment that can reasonably [be] characterised as requiring substantial levels of integrity and trust.” 

What does this mean for employers?

The 2019 Regulations provide a lower bar for employers when considering how a person’s criminal record affects their current or prospective employment. But, ultimately, we must wait for some test cases to further explore what is considered to be an ‘irrelevant’ criminal record.

Employers would be wise to remember that while discussions about discrimination on the basis of a person’s criminal record are often focused on recruitment, this ground also relates to matters during employment. 

For example, discrimination in employment on the basis of an irrelevant criminal record may occur if a person (because of their irrelevant criminal record) is dismissed from employment, denied training or promotion opportunities, subjected to less favourable working conditions, and so on. 

Until there is further guidance about the meaning of the term ‘irrelevant criminal record’, some uncertainty remains for employers. In the meantime, employers may consider introducing appropriate policies and procedures in respect to employing people with a criminal record. When in doubt, seek independent legal advice.

Alison Baker is a partner and Karli Thomas a lawyer at Hall & Wilcox.

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Errol Phillips
Errol Phillips
4 years ago

Is it legal to ask someone to declare they have a criminal record or to require a police clearance for any role or only where the information relates to the inherent requirements of the role e.g. you want to know if they have a record for stealing if their role requires trust with company money/equipment? And is failure to disclose a criminal record a breech of trust and therefore grounds no to hire a candidate or for that matter dismiss and employee?

Dan Sawyer CAHRI
Dan Sawyer CAHRI
4 years ago

We just had a CLEAR Police Check come back from policecheck.com.au on a 33 year old who admitted during interview that there might be some issues with getting clearance. It turns out that he was jailed for three months as a 21 year old…for ARMED ROBBERY.
We understand from our provider that charges older than 10 years are now not reported, which has made us extremely nervous!

Karin Nijboer
Karin Nijboer
4 years ago

An employee or applicant may not have to disclose their complete criminal record. In situations where there has been a finding of guilt but no conviction, there may be no requirement to disclose any information. This situation varies depending on whether the employer asks about “findings of guilt, with or without conviction”

Roz Peattie
Roz Peattie
4 years ago

A criminal record affect the outcome of applying for a Blue or Yellow card. In my organisation, staff must be able to obtain either or both depending on where they work. will these card discriminate if there is an ‘irrelevant criminal record”?

Aaron
Aaron
3 years ago

We always make sure we get employees to keep their credentials and checks done early and kept up to date so that they can seamlessly join, using an online tool such as workerchecks.com for their police checks and other relevant checks. The VEVO right to work VISA check feature at workerchecks.com is also great for those non Australian passport holders!

More on HRM

A lower bar for employers regarding criminal records


Employers now have more discretion when considering criminal records, but the exact meaning of an ‘irrelevant’ record remains unclear.

A change made in October 2019 to anti-discrimination laws lowers the bar for employers to reject job applications from people with criminal records. However, some questions remain about how the change will be interpreted in practice.  

Prior to the amendment, the Human Rights Commission Regulations 1989 prohibited employers from discriminating against an employee or prospective employee on the basis of their criminal record, unless the employer could establish that the criminal record rendered the employee/prospective employee unable to fulfil the inherent requirements of the relevant position. 

This meant employers had to be certain that the criminal record prevented the person from carrying out the essential duties of the position. In practice, this could be difficult to establish. 

The Attorney-General and Industrial Relations Minister, Christian Porter, said the need for change was demonstrated by a 2018 case involving insurance company Suncorp which was found to have engaged in unlawful discrimination when it withdrew an offer of employment it made to a man who had failed to disclose convictions for child pornography offences. 

Suncorp argued the man’s record demonstrated that he was not of sufficient character and integrity to be trusted to hold the position, which required him to work unsupervised from his home and deal with sensitive company data. 

However, the Australian Human Rights Commission rejected Suncorp’s claims and found that the man had been discriminated against because his criminal record alone did not suggest he was unable to perform the inherent requirements of the position.

New regulations – a lower bar yet some ambiguity

A notable change under the revised regulations (Australian Human Rights Commission Regulations 2019) (2019 Regulations) is to introduce the word ‘irrelevant’. This means the 2019 Regulations now prohibit discrimination on the basis of a person’s ‘irrelevant criminal record’. So it should now be easier for employers to exercise reasonable discretion against an employee or prospective employee if they have a criminal record that’s relevant to their role.

The amendment means employers will arguably now be free to consider a broader range of factors when considering how a person’s criminal record affects their current or prospective employment. 

For example, in determining whether a criminal record is ‘irrelevant’ an employer may be able to take into account things such as the nature of the offence, the time since conviction, the nature of the relevant position, the nature of the business and so on. 

However, it is not entirely clear how broad these factors can be. 

The 2019 Regulations don’t define the term ‘irrelevant criminal record’, and there is currently little guidance as to its meaning, creating a new grey area. Accordingly, there is still some uncertainty about how the term will be interpreted in practice. 

The Explanatory Statement to the 2019 Regulations does not provide any guidance as to the meaning of an ‘irrelevant criminal record’. However, a 2018 media release from the Attorney-General’s department, states that the amendment “should provide employers greater ability to exclude candidates who previously committed a dishonesty offence from positions of employment that can reasonably [be] characterised as requiring substantial levels of integrity and trust.” 

What does this mean for employers?

The 2019 Regulations provide a lower bar for employers when considering how a person’s criminal record affects their current or prospective employment. But, ultimately, we must wait for some test cases to further explore what is considered to be an ‘irrelevant’ criminal record.

Employers would be wise to remember that while discussions about discrimination on the basis of a person’s criminal record are often focused on recruitment, this ground also relates to matters during employment. 

For example, discrimination in employment on the basis of an irrelevant criminal record may occur if a person (because of their irrelevant criminal record) is dismissed from employment, denied training or promotion opportunities, subjected to less favourable working conditions, and so on. 

Until there is further guidance about the meaning of the term ‘irrelevant criminal record’, some uncertainty remains for employers. In the meantime, employers may consider introducing appropriate policies and procedures in respect to employing people with a criminal record. When in doubt, seek independent legal advice.

Alison Baker is a partner and Karli Thomas a lawyer at Hall & Wilcox.

Subscribe to receive comments
Notify me of
guest

5 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Errol Phillips
Errol Phillips
4 years ago

Is it legal to ask someone to declare they have a criminal record or to require a police clearance for any role or only where the information relates to the inherent requirements of the role e.g. you want to know if they have a record for stealing if their role requires trust with company money/equipment? And is failure to disclose a criminal record a breech of trust and therefore grounds no to hire a candidate or for that matter dismiss and employee?

Dan Sawyer CAHRI
Dan Sawyer CAHRI
4 years ago

We just had a CLEAR Police Check come back from policecheck.com.au on a 33 year old who admitted during interview that there might be some issues with getting clearance. It turns out that he was jailed for three months as a 21 year old…for ARMED ROBBERY.
We understand from our provider that charges older than 10 years are now not reported, which has made us extremely nervous!

Karin Nijboer
Karin Nijboer
4 years ago

An employee or applicant may not have to disclose their complete criminal record. In situations where there has been a finding of guilt but no conviction, there may be no requirement to disclose any information. This situation varies depending on whether the employer asks about “findings of guilt, with or without conviction”

Roz Peattie
Roz Peattie
4 years ago

A criminal record affect the outcome of applying for a Blue or Yellow card. In my organisation, staff must be able to obtain either or both depending on where they work. will these card discriminate if there is an ‘irrelevant criminal record”?

Aaron
Aaron
3 years ago

We always make sure we get employees to keep their credentials and checks done early and kept up to date so that they can seamlessly join, using an online tool such as workerchecks.com for their police checks and other relevant checks. The VEVO right to work VISA check feature at workerchecks.com is also great for those non Australian passport holders!

More on HRM