SIS checks
March 29th, 2010 at 10:53 am by David FarrarThe Dom Post reports:
Prime Minister John Key will seek assurances about the Security Intelligence Service’s vetting of recruits to highly sensitive government jobs after it failed to spot the doctored CV of a former Immigration boss.
Mr Key said he had not been aware of the failure till Friday, when Mary Anne Thompson was fined $10,000 and sentenced to 100 hours’ community service for falsely claiming to have a London School of Economics PhD.
He believed SIS checks had been improved but it sounded “very sloppy” and he would seek assurances it would not be repeated.
“… I will raise it with them and satisfy myself that they have covered off that particular situation so we don’t see a repeat of it.
“If someone’s at a level where they require an SIS check for their job, then by definition, they are either in an important position or a sensitive role and, on that basis, you’d expect a thorough check to be performed by the SIS, and that’s certainly my expectation.”
I wonder if the PM is being too harsh on the SIS. I’ve undergone and been a referee for those undergoing SIS checks.
My assumption was that the SIS are not a glorified employment agency, and it wasn’t their job to check every detail of someone’s CV. That can be done by well an employment agency.
What the SIS checks tend to be about is checking character, referees, any Police involvement, travel to unfriendly countries, excessive drinking etc.
I just think it is somewhat a waste of SIS resources to have them ringing up universities asking for confirmation of degrees – that is a job that can be done by anyone.
March 29th, 2010 at 11:02 am
Absolutely right, David. Whoever the agency was in this case should be required to refund its fees.
Vote:March 29th, 2010 at 11:09 am
Fuck me the’re bitching about the SIS NOT crawling up someones ass with a microscope then bitching about them invesitgating people with no passports and some bloody odd looking holiday videos.
Witch damed way do they want to slice their cake and eat it too?
This was elementry checking, not freken national security. Has anyone briefed Jogn Key on what his job is becuase some days he seems like hes just walked in off the street.
Vote:March 29th, 2010 at 11:31 am
Beg to differ David. If the SIS are going to do background checks for state services jobs then they should bloody well do it properly.
Vote:March 29th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Sounds like micro-managing by the PM too me… as a person who has been through the SIS process for security checks I can assure you it is a very thorough process!
I agree Murray – people complain when the state is being over intrusive then complain when thay haven’t interferred enough…. ‘sigh’ wait for the Greenies to jump on the bandwagon and call for the SIS to be opened up
Vote:March 29th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
The SIS process takes months and most people begin their Public Service career before a security clearance is requested.
Thompson started in Maori Affairs in 1989 (that’s when she first lied about having a PhD) and that job would not have involved handling classified information. It was only years later working in Treasury and PM Dept that she would have need a clearance.
It is not unreasonable for the SIS to assume that a person’s academic qualifications were checked when the employer was first considering hiring them, not months or years later when their work required a security clearance.
If the SIS checked every piece of information (confirming date of birth, schools they attended, dates of mariage, etc) then security clearances would take even longer than they do now.
Vote:March 29th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
As someone who has been inteviewed by the SIS for someones background check I can tell you its very detailed as well.
That this woman got the job at all says to me that the SIS didn’t do anythign except check the police database for convitions. Maybe you should talk to the minister they answered to at the time. Helen Elizabeth Clark.
Vote:March 29th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Why on earth would the SIS be checking a prospective employee’s reference and education records??? Sure they should be undertaking security checks of any potential government employee – but education records? What a waste of time and resources.
Vote:March 29th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Because john Key is a popularist looking for popularity Bevan.
Vote:March 29th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Because john Key is a popularist looking for popularity Bevan.
It was happening under Clark as well – as much as I want Key to grow a pair, you can only blame him for being a dick about it, not that the SIS is having to check qualifications in the first place.
Vote:But he should put a stop to the practise and let the SIS get on with their real job.
March 29th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
he should put a stop to the practise and let the SIS get on with their real job.
Moustache growing?
Vote: