Overview
Zipline checks your workers' names against Australian banning order and disqualification registers — once when the check is first assigned, and then daily as part of ongoing compliance.
Registers only publish limited information (typically a name, a state or suburb, and order details — not a date of birth). To make sure nothing is missed, Zipline deliberately matches broadly: similar names are flagged as a potential match, not a confirmed one. John Smith on a register will flag a worker named Jonathan Smith.
A potential match means one thing: a human needs to look. Most potential matches are not the same person. This article explains how to verify a match, what to do if it is (or isn't) the person in question, and where each register lives.
A potential match is not an allegation. Don't stand a worker down on the strength of a name similarity alone — verify first.
How matching works
Zipline compares each worker's name against every name on the registers relevant to their check type, using word-level fuzzy matching.
Names that score above the similarity threshold are flagged for review. Common names (e.g. David Nguyen, Sarah Smith) will naturally produce more potential matches.
Once you confirm a flagged name does not refer to your worker, Zipline remembers it. That name will not re-flag on future daily checks — only new names appearing on a register will.
The Last checked timestamp on the check card shows when the most recent daily check ran.
Which registers each check covers
Zipline Check | Register(s) checked | Where to verify |
Banning Order Check | NDIS Commission compliance & enforcement actions; Aged Care Register of banning orders | |
APRA Disqualified Check | APRA Disqualification Register | |
ASIC Banned & Disqualified Check | ASIC Banned and Disqualified registers | |
Court Enforceable Undertakings Check | ASIC court enforceable undertakings register | |
Protective / Prohibition Orders Check | State health complaints prohibition order registers |
Prohibition orders issued in VIC, NSW, QLD and SA are mutually enforceable across those states — treat an interstate match as seriously as a local one.
Verify a potential match
Open the flagged check and compare what the register publishes against what you know about your worker.
1. Open the source register
Use the links above (or the View source link on the match, where shown) and find the flagged entry. Confirm the register entry still exists and note every detail it publishes.
2. Compare the details
Work through these in order — each one can rule a person in or out:
Full name. Is it an exact match, or a near match (different middle name, different spelling, reversed order)? Registers sometimes list aliases or former names — check those too. Check if the worker is using a different name in Zipline.
State and location. Most registers publish a state, and some publish suburb and postcode. A register entry in WA for a worker who has only ever lived and worked in VIC is a strong (but not conclusive) signal it's a different person.
Order dates. Compare the effective dates against your worker's history. A banning order effective from a period when your worker was verifiably employed elsewhere, overseas, or not yet working is a useful exclusion signal.
Order details. The sector and conduct described (e.g. "prohibited from providing aged care") should be plausible for the person — an order against a registered company director is unlikely to refer to your personal care worker, and vice versa.
Current vs previous. Registers list orders that are no longer in force as well as current ones. A previous order still warrants verification, but a current order against your actual worker requires immediate action.
3. Talk to the worker if needed
If the register details don't clearly rule the person out, ask the worker directly. Common-name matches are routine, and most workers can quickly demonstrate they're not the listed person (employment history for the order period, evidence of residence in a different state, identity documents showing a different middle name).
4. Record your decision in Zipline
Not the same person — approve the check and optionally note your reasoning (e.g. "Register entry is QLD-based; worker has resided in VIC since 2015 per ID documents"). The name won't re-flag.
Same person, or can't be ruled out — do not approve. Follow the steps below.
If the match is (or might be) your worker
Act on the order immediately. If a current banning or prohibition order applies to your worker, they must not perform the prohibited work. Stand them down from affected duties while you confirm — allowing a banned person to work can be an offence for the provider as well as the individual.
Confirm with the regulator. Contact the issuing body (NDIS Commission, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, ASIC, APRA, or the relevant state health complaints body) to confirm the order's identity details and current status.
Follow your internal process. Notify the roles your organisation requires (compliance lead, HR, executive) and document the timeline.
Reject the check in Zipline. This will mean they are non-compliant for this check.
FAQ
Why did a name flag when it's clearly not my worker? Registers don't publish dates of birth, so Zipline can't auto-exclude on DOB. Matching is deliberately broad so a real match is never missed — the trade-off is occasional review work on similar names.
Will the same name keep flagging every day? No. Once you've reviewed and approved a potential match, that name is remembered and won't re-flag. Only new names appearing on a register will create a new review.
The register shows the order is no longer in force. Do I still need to review it? Yes — verify whether it refers to your worker either way. A previous order doesn't legally prohibit them from working now, but it may be relevant to your own suitability assessment and record-keeping.
The person on the register has the same name but a different state. Can I dismiss it? A different state is a strong signal, but use it together with other details (dates, sector, middle names) rather than on its own — people move, and some registers record the location at the time the order was made.
Zipline flagged a match but I can't find the entry on the register. Registers occasionally remove revoked or expired entries. Check the register's downloadable list (several publish a CSV or PDF) and contact Zipline support if you still can't locate it — include the worker and check details.
Can Zipline tell me definitively whether it's the same person? No. Zipline surfaces the match and the evidence; the suitability decision is yours as the provider. We'll be improving matches with richer evidence over time to make those decisions faster.