In response to candidates’ application for Police Checks, the Police Check results will provide all (if any) “Disclosable Court Outcomes” (DCO) recorded against the candidates’ name from police records in all states and territories. There may be instances whereby this information is incorrectly listed against the candidates’ name. In the event where there is a DCO recorded against the candidate (accurately or inaccurately), the candidate will be notified of the police check results and be provided with an opportunity to confirm or formally dispute its accuracy.

Equifax dispute process for candidates with Disclosable Court Outcome(s) recorded against their name

The diagram below sets out the Disclosable Court Outcome dispute process:

How do candidates dispute their Police Check results:

If the candidates are identified as having disclosable court outcome(s), they will receive an email from Equifax advising the same. The candidates are requested to contact Equifax for a copy of their Police Check result so that they can validate the accuracy of information released by the ACIC. Should the candidates choose to dispute the results, they can contact Equifax on support@fit2work.com.au or 1300 525 525 as soon as practicable. Equifax encourages candidates to provide information that may support their dispute which may include other names, previous address or relevant supporting document(s) that may assist the ACIC with their investigations.  

Candidates would also be requested to provide the type of information they are disputing. Generally, this falls under 1 of the following 4 categories:

Type 1: All Police History Information released does not belong to the Candidate

Type 2: Part of the Police Information released does not belong to the Candidate

Type 3: Police History Information does belong to the Candidate, but the details are inaccurate

Type 4: Police History Information does belong to the Candidate, but should not have been released

Please note that candidates cannot lodge a dispute directly with ACIC.

What happens after the candidates lodges a dispute with Equifax:

  1. As soon as Equifax receives the relevant information from the candidates, Equifax will lodge the dispute with ACIC.
  2. The ACIC will notify Equifax within 2 business days that the dispute application has been received. Following that, the ACIC will liaise with relevant police agencies and/or with Equifax should additional information is required from the candidates. This process will generally take between 1 to 14 working days depending on the complexity of the investigations.
  3. Upon completing their investigations, the ACIC will advise Equifax whether the dispute was successful or unsuccessful.
  4. Regardless of the outcome of the investigations, Equifax will immediately notify the candidates and the employer of the outcome.
  5. For dispute(s) that was a successful, the candidates will again be provided with the opportunity to review and/or dispute the amended results.