The US private prison company MTC, which operates Australia’s immigration detention centres, has been penalised after a dozen escapes. The amount of the fines remains secret, Australian Border Force chief Gavan Reynolds told a Senate committee on Thursday. Reynolds cited the confidentiality of the contract and refused to disclose the sum.
Greens senator David Shoebridge sharply criticised the lack of transparency. He spoke of a “disturbing series of reports” about MTC and its Australian subsidiary Secure Journeys. The revelations are based on an investigation by Guardian Australia.
During the Senate hearing, the Department of Home Affairs confirmed that MTC’s US director had been summoned to a meeting with the government. The reason was serious security failures, including the escape of high-risk detainees and a knife attack on staff that required hospital treatment. Since May last year, there have been twelve separate escapes from MTC facilities.
Reynolds acknowledged that there had been “charge events” – i.e. penalty payments – but refused to disclose the amount. “I have received legal advice that, due to the confidential nature of the contract, I cannot publicly discuss the amount of these charge events,” he said.
Source: www.theguardian.com
