Security Screening Officer

A Security Screening Officer operates security screening equipment at airports, ports, government buildings, and other high-security venues to detect prohibited items and threats. They inspect passengers, baggage, and cargo using X-ray machines, metal detectors, and explosive trace detection equipment, following strict protocols set by the Department of Home Affairs. They make real-time decisions about whether to clear, detain, or refer individuals and items for further inspection, maintaining security compliance while managing high-volume passenger or cargo throughput.

Operate X-ray machines and millimetre wave scanners to screen carry-on and checked baggage, interpreting imagery to identify prohibited or suspicious items. Use walk-through and hand-held metal detectors to screen passengers and personnel, responding to alarms by conducting pat-downs or secondary screening. Conduct explosive trace detection (ETD) testing on passengers, baggage, and surfaces using approved equipment and swabs. Perform physical pat-down searches of passengers in accordance with screening regulations and departmental guidelines, documenting consent and outcomes. Inspect carry-on baggage manually, examining contents against the prohibited items list published by the Department of Home Affairs. Refer suspicious items or passengers to supervisors, security managers, or law enforcement for further investigation without delay. Record screening results, refusals, detentions, and incidents in security information systems and logbooks. Apply risk assessment principles to identify high-risk passengers or items based on behaviour indicators, luggage characteristics, and screening results.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

Most roles are permanent part-time or casual at major airports, meaning irregular hours, split shifts, and unpredictable rosters that make life planning tough. The work is repetitive and monotonous for long stretches, then suddenly high-stress when you spot something suspicious. You're also exposed to aggressive or abusive passengers regularly, and there's real automation risk as body scanners and AI-powered baggage screening improve.

Jobs concentrate at major airports and international seaports. Most positions are in capital cities; remote work doesn't exist. Government security contracts dominate, so employment depends on government contracts and passenger volume, not broad industry spread across regional Australia.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 4422, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Check tickets at venue entrycore
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
• Conflict De-escalationcore
• Conflict Resolutioncore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Multitaskingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Verification and Authenticationcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Check official documents
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
• Escalation Management
• Professional Boundaries Maintenance
• Record Management
• SLA and KPI Adherence
• Team Collaboration

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Security Screening Officer workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026