Use the following links to security industry related information:
On 14 June 2011 a range of reforms to the Security Industry Act 2003 commenced. The reforms created new sub-classes of licence and new qualification requirements for the new sub-classes. The sub-classes now include working with firearms and dogs, and working as a monitoring centre operator. As a result, the identifiers for the sub-classes have changed.
The new sub-classes are set out below:
All licences issued before 14 June 2011 will be valid until the expiry date identified on the licence. If you do not need to add any new sub-classes you do not need to do anything as the licence class identifiers will be amended when you apply to renew your licence.
If you currently use a firearm or dog in your role or work as a monitoring centre operator you will need to apply to vary your licence to include the new sub-classes. Under the transitional arrangements, you will have two years to apply for the variation, however, you must not conduct the activity after 14 June 2011 until you have the sub-class added to your licence.
As the Commissioner for Fair Trading must be satisfied that you conducted the activity under your current licence, you are required to provide evidence when applying to add the new sub-classes. The fee to add the new sub-classes is $12.00 per sub-class. If you believe that you may need to apply for one of the new licence sub-classes please contact the Office of Regulatory Services on (02) 6207 0562.
Further reforms for the security industry were introduced in the A.C.T. Legislative Assembly on 30 June 2011, resulting in a Security Industry Amendment Act 2011 to be passed in the Assembly on 22 September 2011. The Security Industry Amendment Act 2011 (the Security Act) introduces in the A.C.T. the next stage of the nationally agreed private security industry reforms. The Security Act contains a number of reforms that amend the Security Industry Act 2003, the Security Industry Regulation 2003 and the Spent Convictions Act 2000.
The date for the commencement of the security industry reforms is 27 September 2012. On this day, the following significant changes with respect to licsensing of the security industry will come into effect:
Applicants will be required to provide a police certificate that is verified by the applicant’s fingerprints. This requirement will only apply if the applicant has not previously given the commissioner for fair trading a fingerprint-verified police certificate.
The Act will prevent persons who have committed certain offences from obtaining a security licence. The exclusionary provisions apply if you have been convicted in the last 10 years, or found guilty in the last 5 years of an offence:
If a conviction was recorded for the first three offences listed, the penalty must have been imprisonment, a fine of $500 or more, or for mandatory disqualification to apply. A finding of guilt means that a Court found you guilty of a charge but did not record a conviction against you (for example – you may have been released on a bond or similar, without conviction).
The exclusionary provisions may apply to existing licensees.
When you apply for a security licence, you may have criminal intelligence relating to you divulged to the ORS if the information is relevant to issuing a licence, or for another lawful purpose. Criminal intelligence may also be divulged in relation to a decision about whether the ORS should apply to the ACAT for an occupational discipline order in relation to a licensee.
Applicants who have lived in a foreign country for one or more years in the previous 5 years prior to the date of the application, may be required to provide the ORS with a certified copy of the applicant’s criminal history record from that country.
Licences may now be issued for up to 3 years.
A detailed practice manual will be available soon.
The amendments to the Security Industry Regulation 2003 require all employees holding a security licence that includes the firearm sub-classes to maintain a current first aid certificate. Employees wishing to add either of these sub-classes to their licence will also be required to provide a copy of their current first aid certificate.
Under the Liquor Act 2010 all security employees working at licensed premises must hold a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certificate issued by an A.C.T. approved RSA training provider. From 1 June 2012, all applications and renewals for a crowd controller [sub-class (1C)] will be required to provide evidence of holding a current RSA certificate prior to being granted the licence. A RSA certificate issued in another jurisdiction after 1 June 2010 will be accepted in the A.C.T. only until 1 June 2013. After this date security licensees will need to hold a RSA certificate issued by an A.C.T. approved Registered Training Organisation (RTO). If you do not have a current certificate you will be issued a conditional crowd controller licence which will not allow you to work at licensed premises. Refer to the list of RTOs that are approved to conduct RSA training in the A.C.T.
