Security Professionals' Register: Workshop date announced
The Australasian Council of Security Professionals, with support from the Federal Attorney-General’s Department, is planning to develop and implement a National Register for Security Professionals.
As part of this project, a series of public workshops will be conducted in Australia and New Zealand to develop professional register criteria and governance arrangements for such a registry.
The first of the workshops is to be held at 2.00pm-3.00pm on Tuesday 27 July in Sydney at the Buchanan Room, Four Seasons Hotel, 199 George Street. It will be held following the ASIS Chapter half day Conference.
Attendance at the Registry Workshop is free and open to all security professionals.
Future proposed dates include:
- Perth 11/12 August
- Adelaide 13 August
- Melbourne 24 August
- Canberra 26 August
- Brisbane 7 September
- Wellington 14 September
- Auckland 15 September
Specific locations and times for the series will be advised.
To RSVP for the Sydney event, please email Don Williams at don.williams@securityprofessionals.org.au
More details on the Council and the definition of Security Professional can be found at the Council Website at http://www.securityprofessionals.org.au/
Background
At its meeting of 7 June 2010 in Canberra, the Australasian Council of Security Professionals (ACSP) moved to develop a register of security professionals which, subject to the New Zealand-Australia mutual recognition arrangements, will also register New Zealand nationals who meet the criteria for registration.
The ACSP was successful in gaining support from the Attorney-General’s Department for the development of the register. The support provides funding to develop an acceptable and effective register model and provision of initial establishment and temporary running costs with the aim of the register becoming self funding.
The ACSP will also be drawing on research resources of Edith Cowan University, the Policing, Intelligence and Counter-Terrorist Centre at Macquarie University and the Australian Security Research Centre and such other appropriate qualified bodies who are willing to assist. Additional support will be sought from corporate sponsors and security associations in both cash and kind.
Proposed plan
It is planned to conduct a four stage development process commencing in July 2010.
Research phase
- Determine the nature and extent of the group of persons who would be eligible for registration,
- Develop and propose governance and management arrangements acceptable to government, associations and industry,
- Determine the mix and weighting of criteria for registration,
- Developing communications, application and registry management processes and a review mechanism for the register.
First pass approval
The detailed proposal developed in the research phase shall be presented to the ACSP who, subject to general ACSP representative agreement and following consultation with government, will establish an appropriate constituted registration board to implement the registry.
Implementation Phase
- The registry board will establish the registry as a legal not-for-profit entity.
- Implement the agreed communications strategy and registry management mechanisms,
- Develop and implement a program to ensure that the registry becomes self funding by its second year of operation.
Review Phase
Within eighteen months of its establishment the registry and its operations will be independently audited. The results of this audit to be reviewed by an agreed governance board, reflecting the relevant professional and governmental constituencies.
Benefits
The creation of such a register will provide a single authoritative point of reference and confirmation on the status of any persons who purports to offer professional security services as an internal provider or external contractor. By setting independent, transparent and contestable criteria for professional status it will enhance security practice and provision of services, provide guidance to education needs and services and assist uses of security services to make an informed decision concerning the level of expertise and service that can be expected of registered individuals.