An Australian NGO says the offshore detention regime has been left foundering after Wilson Security said it will not renew its contract to provide security at detention centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.
Wilson Security's decision follows the announcement by the service provider, Broadspectrum, earlier this year that it, too, would abandon the asylum seeker processing centres.
Matthew Phillips is the human rights campaign director at GetUp, an NGO which, for the past year, has been trying to rally communities to not do business with companies involved in offshore detention.
He told Jamie Tahana Wilson Security's announcement makes it clear that businesses no longer want to be associated with the detention centres.
Protestors call for an end to Australia's offshore detention camps at a protest outside Parliament in Wellington 25 August 2016
Photo: RNZI/Sally Round
Transcript
MATTHEW PHILLIPS: It's very significant and the reason why that is is that Wilson have effectively washed their hands of the government's failed policy on Manus Island and Nauru. Wilson have announced that they won't tender for another contract to operate the offshore detention centres when the current one ends in October 2017. So it follows on from the announcement from the lead contractor, which is a Spanish multinational company called Ferrovial, who took over Broadspectrum last year, and they announced a few months ago that they wanted to exit the offshore camps at the end of their contract as well. What that means is that they're potentially foregoing a very large amount of revenue -- approximately A$2.7 billion of revenue over five years -- because they realise that their reputation can't withstand exposure to such complicity with abuse. So in effect, the government is left stranded ignoring the reality that all camp operators have publicly said that they wish to leave.
JAMIE TAHANA: It's still well over a year before that contract expires, though. Surely there are plenty of other companies in the world that may step into the void here?
MP: Well, I mean, our view is that the people who have been illegally imprisoned in those centres for three years now should be brought to Australia, to safety. The offshore detention regime is faltering, it's kind of untenable. So those companies don't want to be involved in the future, the Australian government's going to be struggling to find a company that's willing to take that on given the repetitional, financial, and legal risk that the companies have been exposed to since they've been involved.
JT: Wilson Security does not leave this with an unblemished reputation. Because there are numerous abuse allegations towards the company. What should happen with these now?
MP: Well as you point out correctly there are ongoing investigations into allegations of abuse and those allegations should be given an airing in the justice system.
JT: What are the options left for Peter Dutton and the Australian government now that two companies have pulled out of these centres, Papua New Guinea wants the centre on Manus Island gone. What's left for Canberra now?
MP: Well the government is in a situation where the offshore detention centres are becoming increasingly untenable. The whole system is falling apart around them. So we think that the government is faced with one choice: and that is to bring those who have been illegally imprisoned on Manus and Nauru to Australia as soon as possible.
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