Appeal a decision

You can ask to have a Screening Unit assessment decision reviewed if you believe they didn’t follow the right processes when doing the assessment for your check.

Your assessment will only be reviewed for reasons like:

• there is new, relevant information about your criminal history for the Screening Unit to assess
• you feel the information you provided for your assessment wasn’t fully or properly considered
• you can show that any information used by the Screening Unit to do your assessment was information they were not permitted to access or use
• you believe the Screening Unit used irrelevant information about you as part of your assessment.

When the Screening Unit reviews your assessment, they will look at the information collected for your initial assessment, plus any new information you provide with your review request.

If you apply for a review, the Screening Unit may contact you for permission to get another copy of your national criminal history record from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC). There may be a fee to access this information, but it means your check is as up-to-date as possible.

To apply for an internal review, contact the Screening Unit or email DHS.ScreeningUnitPolicy@sa.gov.au.

External appeals

If you are not happy with the outcome of the Screening Unit’s internal review, you may be able to have your application reviewed externally through:

• South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
• Ombudsman SA
• Office for Public Integrity
• Australian Human Rights Commission