AFP logo at EBB Canberra

Employment Suitability Questionnaire

A consistent, fair and transparent way to assess the character suitability of people who apply for a job

Employment Suitability Questionnaire 

As Australia’s national law enforcement agency, our employees must act with the highest level of integrity both on and off duty. 

To work with us you'll need to complete our Employment Suitability Questionnaire (ESQ) otherwise your application won't progress to the next round of the recruitment process. You'll be sent the ESQ to complete if you're short-listed. You'll also need to provide: 

  • full traffic history
  • proof of Australian citizenship.

This helps us assess your character and ability to comply with our professional standards in official and private capacities. 

If you have a history of disregarding the law (even as a juvenile), or associating with groups or individuals who attract the attention of law enforcement, you may not be eligible to work with us.

You won't receive feedback if you don’t pass the employment suitability assessment. Our decision is final, and there are no internal reviews.

What you need to provide

Declarable associations

If you have declarable associations (including family members), provide as much detail as possible about the people you declare. This includes their full name, date of birth, reasons why you believe there may be a conflict of interest, and how often you interact with them.

Traffic history

If you have ever held a licence, learner's permit or provisional licence, you must provide your traffic history. It must cover all states, territories and countries where you have held a licence for the last 10 years.

Juvenile convictions and cautions

If you received a conviction or caution when you were younger than 18, declare it and provide as much detail as you can remember, regardless of the outcome. For example, guilty, not guilty, caution, restorative justice or diversionary conferencing.

Illicit drug use

Declare all instances of illicit drug use, including what, when and how. If you are unsure of the exact dates of your last illicit drug use, provide as much detail as possible. At a minimum, include the year of your last illicit drug use and how many times.

Previous drug use doesn't immediately result in an unsuccessful application.

Once you have submitted your job application, you must cease all illicit drug use. We have a zero-tolerance drug policy for our employees.

Firearm use

Provide full details of firearm use. Make sure you include the date, location (state, territory and country) and reason for any firearm licence refusal, possession or use of a firearm or prohibited weapon, or unlawful history.

Living or travelling overseas

You need to tell us if you’ve spent significant periods living overseas or regularly travel abroad to regions of interest.

AFP Character Standards

Our character standards define the minimum standards for potential applicants across all AFP roles and responsibilities. They reflect the AFP Commissioner’s and the community’s expectations that all our employees are held to the highest level of integrity, both on and off duty.

Why we assess character

The integrity of the AFP is critical to our success in:

  • meeting Australian Government, stakeholder and community expectations
  • achieving our goals and objectives
  • maintaining the continued support, trust and confidence of the Australian Government, stakeholders and community.

Our broad mandate is supported by our diverse workforce. All AFP employees must conduct themselves and behave in a manner that reflects our values, professional standards and integrity requirements.

An assessment of an applicant’s character is made, based on available information, in relation to that person’s ability to comply with the professional standards of the AFP in an official and private capacity.

Assessing character

We have strict integrity standards that must be adhered to, and each external applicant is considered individually.

The overall assessment of an applicant includes consideration of a wide range of characteristics, traits, attributes, skills and abilities, and includes, but isn't limited to the:

  • Employment Suitability Questionnaire (ESQ)
  • AFP core values
  • character traits.

Employment Suitability Questionnaire

All applicants must complete the ESQ when applying for a job with the AFP. An assessment of an applicant’s character is aided by the applicant’s responses, and information provided in the ESQ.

AFP core values

Applicants must display, and are assessed against our core values:

  • Integrity
  • Commitment
  • Excellence
  • Accountability
  • Fairness
  • Trust
  • Respect.

AFP character traits

Our character traits help us assess whether an applicant meets the character standards required by us to hold a valid security clearance. All employees must hold a valid security clearance.

Our character traits are:

  • Honesty
  • Trustworthiness
  • Maturity
  • Tolerance
  • Resilience
  • Loyalty.

Disclosing your criminal history

As part of the ESQ, applicants must disclose their criminal history (spent or otherwise), or any other relevant issue that could impact the assessment of their character.

Failure to disclose any required information in an application may result in the application not proceeding or revoking the security clearance.

The decision-maker may seek further information from applicants. However, it is important for applicants to give full details of the circumstances of any disclosure. This helps the decision-maker make their final decision about the application and any possible exclusion periods.

Applicants should declare any inappropriate or criminal associations. For example:

  • any person, including a family member, involved in a group or organisation known or perceived to be involved in unlawful or criminal activities
  • known criminals
  • criminal entities.

The declaration of inappropriate and criminal associations won’t automatically exclude an application. The decision-maker will assess each declaration on a case-by-case basis.

Spent convictions scheme

As a law enforcement agency, the AFP is exempt from provisions in the spent convictions scheme – Part VIIC, Division 3 of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth).

Applicants must disclose all convictions (spent or otherwise), to us when applying. If an applicant discloses a previous conviction (spent or otherwise), the decision-maker will consider the entire application. They will take into consideration the:

  • dates of offences and convictions
  • age of the applicant at the time of the offences or conduct
  • seriousness of offences or conduct
  • frequency or repeated nature of the offences or conduct, which indicates a pattern of behaviour in relation to alcohol, drugs, aggression, dishonesty or socially unacceptable behaviour
  • applicant’s conduct and lifestyle since the last offence
  • role in which the applicant will perform in the AFP.

Exclusion periods

The prior history of applicants will be considered holistically and on a case‐by‐case basis. Insufficient or incorrect information supplied by an applicant may result in the termination of an application, or an exclusion period being applied, including permanent exclusion.

The decision-maker may use their discretion when deciding to apply an exclusion period to an application, where:

  • 'decision-maker' means AFP Manager Professional Standards
  • 'discretion' means acting on one’s own authority and judgement.

The decision-maker may take into account the following relevant considerations:

Convictions or otherwise proven to have committed an offence
Conviction or integrity issue Recommended period of exclusion (decision-maker discretion) from date of offence or conviction

Terminated or dismissed from any employment

Decision-maker discretion depending on circumstances

Inappropriate and/or Criminal associations

Decision-maker discretion depending on circumstances

Any sentence of imprisonment, including suspended sentences and periodic detention

Decision-maker discretion depending on circumstances

Subject of a current or outstanding arrest warrant, including first instance and family law

Decision-maker discretion depending on circumstances

Declarations indicate past behaviour is inconsistent with the professional standards of the AFP

Decision-maker discretion depending on circumstances

An indictable offence, including indictable offence heard summarily

5-year exclusion recommended

An offence for assault, hinder, obstruct or resist a Police Officer or any other public official

5-year exclusion recommended

Personal violence offences, including domestic violence, sexual assault or assault occasioning bodily harm

5 to 10-year exclusion recommended

Dishonesty offences, including fraud, obtaining benefit by deception, forgery or impersonation

5 to 10-year exclusion recommended

Corruption activities or related offences

Decision-maker discretion depending on circumstances

Firearm or weapon-related offences

5-year exclusion recommended

Summary offence not outlined in this section on more than one occasion

Decision-maker discretion depending on circumstances

An offence for driving under the influence of alcohol (regardless of level) on more than one occasion

Decision-maker discretion depending on circumstances

An offence for driving under the influence of illicit drugs

Decision-maker discretion depending on circumstances

The applicant knowingly or deliberately fails to disclose relevant information or provides false or misleading information during the application process

5-year exclusion recommended

The applicant fails to satisfy the requirements to obtain a security clearance

Decision-maker discretion depending on circumstances

The applicant is the subject of a current court-ordered apprehended violence order or equivalent; or a current interim apprehended violence order or equivalent

5-year exclusion recommended

The applicant is the subject of an apprehended violence order or equivalent which has expired, been dismissed or revoked

2 to 5-year exclusion recommended

The applicant is the subject of an order under firearms or weapon legislation that prohibits the person from possession or using a firearm

2 to 5-year exclusion recommended

One conviction for a public order or minor street offence

1-year exclusion recommended

One conviction for any criminal (wilful) damage to property offence

3-year exclusion recommended

One formal Breach of the Peace or Move on Notice

1-year exclusion recommended

One lodgement or charge for intoxication or disorderly behaviour in a public place

Decision-maker discretion depending on circumstances

One conviction for a theft or stealing offence (single offences as a juvenile only)

1 to 5-year exclusion recommended

One conviction for a receiving or possessing stolen property offence (single offences as a juvenile only)

1 to 5-year exclusion recommended

Driving and traffic offences
Conviction or integrity issue within the last 10 years Recommended period of exclusion (decision-maker discretion) from date of offence or conviction

One conviction for low-range driving under the influence (0.05 g or more but less than 0.08 g)

6-month exclusion recommended

One conviction for mid‐range driving under the influence (0.08 g or more but less than 0.15 g)

1-year exclusion recommended

One conviction for a high range driving under the influence (0.15 g or more)

2-year exclusion recommended

Demerit point accumulation resulting in suspension of licence

2-year exclusion recommended

Suspension of licence for any other reason

Decision maker discretion depending on circumstances

Other minor driving or traffic offences, including but not limited to low to mid‐range speed (less than 25 km per hour over speed limit), using a mobile phone, not wearing a seatbelt

1-year exclusion recommended from most recent offence if an applicant has 3 or more minor traffic offences across the last 3 years

2-year exclusion recommended from the date of most recent offence if an applicant has 3 or more minor traffic offences in the last 12 months

Consideration for exclusion if total of minor offences is excessive (that is, exceeds total years of driving)

Serious traffic or driving offences such as negligent driving, any ‘hoon’ offence resulting in disqualification or suspension of licence, driving whilst disqualified or suspended, drive in a manner dangerous, negligent driving causing injury, high range speed (more than 25 km per hour over the speed limit)

2-year exclusion recommended from date of offence or decision maker discretion depending on circumstances

Full traffic history

If you have ever held a driver's licence, provisional driver's licence or learner's permit, we need a copy of your traffic history.

Your traffic history must:

  • have been obtained no more than 3 months before the initial request to provide your traffic history
  • continuously cover the last 10 years you have held a licence
  • include a record from all states and territories or countries that you have held a driver's licence in (including a learner's permit or provisional licence) over the last 10 years.

If you have held a licence for less than 10 years, your traffic history must cover your entire driving history. For example, if you have only had your licence for 4 years, you need to obtain your traffic history to cover this period.

Make sure you include the full document (all pages) provided by each licencing authority. Don't upload one page of a 2 or 3-page document.

The licencing authority documents don't need to be certified.

If you're unable to obtain your traffic history from another country, you must provide a statutory declaration that outlines licence details (including dates) and any traffic offences associated with this licence.

Each state and territory has a different name for their traffic authority. To help you, we've listed the traffic authorities across Australia where you can obtain your traffic history.

Jurisdiction Authority

Australian Capital Territory

Access Canberra
Search 'Licence History Records' and select 10-year history

New South Wales

Service NSW
Search 'Driving Record' and request an 'Online Driving Record'

Northern Territory

NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services (PFES)
Search 'Traffic History'

Queensland

Department of Transport and Main Roads
Search 'Traffic History'

South Australia

SA Government
Search 'Driving History'

Victoria

VicRoads
Search 'Driver Licence History Report' and order a complete driver history report

Western Australia

WA Police
Search 'Record of Traffic Infringement'

Tasmania

Transport Service Tasmania
Search 'Licence History Report'

Several companies in Australia can perform licence checks on your behalf for a fee. To use this optional service, search the internet for 'licence checks Australia'.

We won't accept these documents as your traffic history:

  • an issued traffic infringement notice
  • demerit points record
  • a copy of your driver's licence
  • a National Police Certificate check
  • any documents obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) laws.

If you've lived overseas, have travelled extensively and held a licence or driven and received an infringement of any kind, provide a statutory declaration stating the period you held a licence and list any traffic offences you are aware of.

If you have never held a driver's licence or never driven and received an infringement of any kind, upload a statutory declaration to tell us.

Alcohol and prohibited drug use

We recognise the serious effects that drugs, alcohol and pharmaceutical abuse has on society. We expect our employees to be  committed to the highest standards of personal integrity and professionalism.

  • You must not use prohibited drugs. This extends to consumption in in Australia and overseas, regardless of use been decriminalised and/or legalised
  • Abuse of pharmaceutical products is also prohibited. Inappropriate use or abuse of pharmaceutical products extends to use which exceeds the norms of clinical and therapeutic activity, including:
    • taking prescription medication not prescribed to you
    • taking  prescription medication outside of what it has been prescribed for. For example, exceeding the dosage set out by the prescribing authorised health practitioner
    • taking  over the counter pharmaceutical products outside the normal medical parameters. For example, exceeding the recommended dosage and/or for a purpose that it is not intended.
  • You must not use SARMs except within lawful controlled medical parameters. These parameters must be set by a registered medical authority and conform to accepted treatment regimes
  • Use of cannabinoids by AFP appointees is prohibited unless use is prescribed by an Australian registered health practitioner authorised to prescribe cannabinoids
  • Consumption of alcohol is regulated. The alcohol concentration of all AFP appointees on duty (or returning to duty) must not exceed 0.02 grams of alcohol in 210 litres of breath or 100 millilitres of blood.

We test AFP appointees for use of prohibited drugs, alcohol and pharmaceutical misuse in accordance with the relevant legislation, regulations and this guideline.

Testing is conducted in accordance with the Australian Federal Police Regulations 2018 (Cth). You must comply with any written direction given to you to provide a body sample for  drug or alcohol testing. It is a serious breach of our professional standards if you disobey a direction or fail to undergo  drug or alcohol testing.