Why Traditional Screening Companies Only Support — But Not Conform — to AS 4811:2022
When it comes to workforce screening in Australia, many providers now reference the updated AS 4811:2022 Employment Screening Standard. CVCheck, AusClear, Accurate, HireRight, First Advantage (Sterling), Equifax fit2work, and Veremark all highlight the importance of aligning with the new standard.
But here’s the critical truth: traditional screening companies only support AS 4811:2022 — they do not fully conform.
What Traditional Screening Providers Deliver
Traditional vendors remain strong in foundational checks:
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Identity verification (photo ID, address, right to work)
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ACIC police checks (criminal history)
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Qualification and membership verification
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Employment and reference checks
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Sanctions, credit, or civil litigation searches
But even these are not done accurately.
For example, a real life example:
Here is quick summary of what they missed yet claim it is AS24811:2022:
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Comprehensive DVS Verification: We conduct a DVS check that verifies up to 100 points of identity, ensuring a robust verification process. This stands in contrast to approaches that may only verify a partial point count.
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Robust Photo ID Verification (LOA3 Compliant): Our process requires a ‘selfie’ holding a government-issued photo ID. This method directly aligns with National Proofing Guidelines for a Level of Assurance 3 (LOA3), providing a significantly higher degree of identity confidence compared to processes lacking this critical step.
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Exhaustive Address History Confirmation: We meticulously document and verify current and all previous addresses for the past five years. This comprehensive approach ensures a complete residential history, mitigating risks associated with unverified address changes.
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Thorough Name Alias Cross-Referencing: Our verification protocols include actively inquiring about and cross-referencing any other names used by the individual with various identification documents before submission to relevant authorities like the AFP. This prevents potential identity obfuscation.
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Rigorous Australian Citizenship Verification: We verify Australian Citizenship post-1986 (the above person was born in 1999), a crucial step for many critical identity checks. Our citizenship verification page is here: https://www.cleard.life/citizenship-verification/
So these services help reduce basic risks and are essential to a compliance framework .. but that’s why companies like the one above, or CVCheck or HireRight say they “support” AS 4811. Accurate goes further, advising organisations to let AS 4811 “guide” their screening programs.
Where Traditional Screening Falls Short
The gap is in what AS 4811:2022 actually requires. The standard goes far beyond transactional checks. To conform, organisations must implement:
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✅ Mandatory suitability interviews for high-trust or high-risk roles (a “must,” not a “may”).
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✅ Risk-based, ISO 31000-aligned adjudication that weighs conduct, external influence, financial pressures, and integrity — not just criminal records.
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✅ Continuous evaluation across the employee lifecycle (pre-employment, ongoing monitoring, and separation).
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✅ Documented governance and privacy practices that ensure fairness, non-discrimination, and confidentiality.
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✅ Independent audit or attestation of compliance with all 19 “musts” and 73 “shoulds” in AS 4811:2022.
None of the major vendors above — whether First Advantage, Sterling, Accurate, CVCheck, Equifax fit2work, HireRight, or Veremark — make public claims of audited conformance. They provide strong “support,” but that’s not the same as ticking off every requirement in the standard.
How Cleard Life Stands Out
Cleard Life is the first Australian provider to achieve independent, auditor-certified conformance with AS 4811:2022. That means:
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Structured, defensible suitability interviews are embedded in every high-risk screening process.
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Continuous workforce evaluation is part of the lifecycle, not an afterthought.
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ISO 31000-based risk scoring delivers clear Green / Amber / Red outcomes across integrity, conduct, financial stressors, and external influence.
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Privacy, ethics, and fairness are guaranteed by policy, not assumed.
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Independent auditors have confirmed we meet every “must” and “should” in the standard.
While others “support” the standard with point-in-time checks, Cleard Life provides full conformance — giving organisations defensibility, trust, and compliance.
Why It Matters
For organisations in critical infrastructure, defence, government supply chains, and high-trust sectors, that distinction matters. A supportive vendor reduces some risk. A conformant partner makes you compliant, defensible, and future-proof.
The Cleard Life Difference
In an environment of insider threats, foreign interference, and regulatory scrutiny, “support” isn’t good enough. AS 4811:2022 sets a clear bar, and Cleard Life is the only provider in Australia to publicly demonstrate independent-audited conformance.
