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https://theconversation.com/why-security-vetting-in-australia-can-be-detrimental-to-diversity-199782>
"The public sector union has levelled complaints at the Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (DFAT) this month, alleging that many diverse candidates
who’d been given a conditional offer into the graduate program were then denied
due to delays in security vetting. This reportedly lead to the rejection of
around a quarter of the applicants.
Candidates wanting to work in the public service are required to undergo
security vetting if they are to handle classified information. The ABC reports
there’s anecdotal evidence this process takes longer for Australians who are
born overseas or have family overseas, because of extra checks to ensure such
candidates won’t be influenced by foreign governments. The union claims such
delays are leading to many diverse candidates missing out on government jobs.
In 2020, it was reported that Chinese Australians with family living overseas
found it challenging to secure jobs in diplomacy due to the difficulty of such
security checks.
This issue isn’t unique to Australia, nor to diplomacy. The UK National Audit
Office found security vetting delays were affecting government operations more
generally. New Zealand has identified greater diversity in their national
security sector as a key challenge.
Indeed security vetting processes are a critical part of achieving diversity in
government. While vetting processes may not be as visible or studied as other
elements of the recruitment process, they ultimately determine who progresses,
and what position individuals can achieve in government.
Our yet to be published research has, since 2021, focused on vetting in the
context of wider social changes over the last six decades and how that may
affect diversity."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
