Edition 64, January/February 2009

National security provider reforms


In July 2008 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to adopt a nationally-consistent approach to the regulation of the private security industry.

Work is currently underway in each state and territory to undertake these regulatory reforms which aim to improve the probity, competence and skills of security personnel and the mobility of security industry licences across jurisdictions.

Under the agreement the following list of licensable activities will come under the nationally-consistent approach to regulation of the private security industry:

  • general guarding
  • crowd or venue control
  • guarding with a dog
  • guarding with a firearm
  • monitoring centre operations
  • body guarding
  • training.

Current work

The Ministerial Council for Police and Emergency Management (MCPEM) is working in consultation with the Security Industry Regulators Forum to establish national minimum regulatory standards for the technical sector of the industry. The initial work is to focus on the guarding sector of the industry with the work due for completion by mid 2009.

The MCPEM is also working to develop proposals for a possible national system for security industry licensing. This work is due to be completed by mid 2010.

Regulatory areas

The agreement will see states and territories apply nationally consistent minimum regulatory standards in the following areas:

Probity

  • criminal exclusions standards
  • identity and probity check standards

Competency and Skills

  • new applicants will be required to complete a pre-licensing course
  • introduce a provisional, probational or conditional licence in the manpower sector of the industry
  • improve the quality and consistency of materials used for training and assessment of the security industry, including the development of agreed competencies for each licensable activity
  • ensure that arrangements for the development and maintenance of the security industry competencies and training materials include ongoing consultation with the users of security services and licensing authorities in addition to the security industry
  • where necessary, implement additional measures to improve the quality and consistency of the delivery of security industry training by registered training organisations

Mobility

  • implement temporary individual, and, if needed, corporate permits and licences based on the Victorian model
  • implement full and effective mutual recognition arrangements to improve mobility of security personnel and business across jurisdictions.

Under the agreement it is expected that the reforms will be in force by 1 January 2010 and that they will apply to existing licence holders and new licence applicants from that time.

For detailed information on the COAG agreement visit www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2008-07-03/index.cfm (Select �Regulation of the Private Industry - Manpower (guarding) Sector�)

This page was generated on 26 August, 2009