Hi, I’m Jim Anderson, Assistant Secretary, AusCheck.
As part of the Department of Home Affairs’ Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre (CISC), AusCheck is committed to working with our partners to protect Australia’s critical infrastructure sectors from trusted and malicious insiders.
The work we do at AusCheck is successful because of the support from our partners, and we are grateful for the considerable and ongoing support from our aviation and maritime industry partners to keep Australians safe.
Since AusCheck was established in 2007, a background check through AusCheck has become the standardised process in the aviation and maritime security environment.
I am proud to say that, some 15 years later, AusCheck continues to implement modern solutions to improve the delivery, efficiency and integrity of our services to meet the sectors’ growing and ever-changing demands.
AusCheck is now responsible for establishing the single issuing body for aviation and maritime security identification cards, or ASICs and MSICs as they are commonly known.
Built on cyber-secure systems, the issuing body will, in the near future, expand to deliver background checking and identity assurance services across other critical infrastructure sectors; starting with the defence industry’s naval shipbuilding and sustainment enterprise at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia.
We have been collaborating with and listening to stakeholders to ensure that we take all insights and feedback directly on board to establish a single issuing body for ASICs and MSICs.
Our Discussion Paper outlines what AusCheck proposes to deliver as the Single Issuing Body, and to make our background checking services as effective and efficient as they can be, as we start working with new partners and prepare to deliver background checking services to critical infrastructure sectors and entities.
The Department of Home Affairs invites you to comment on this Discussion Paper so that when it comes time for industry to transition their issuing body responsibilities to AusCheck, our final operating model incorporates your feedback and best serves the needs of industry and the objectives of the reform.
Australians need to remain vigilant to mitigate the risks to the aviation and maritime sectors from terrorists and transnational serious and organised criminals as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
We thank you for supporting this vital national security initiative and we look forward to hearing from you.
For more information, please go to the AusCheck website or email IBreformproject@homeaffairs.gov.au
