Refugee rights activists are pleased with the September 1 announcement that Wilson Security will not tender for another contract for Australia's offshore detention centres, but say the camps must be closed immediately.
Wilson's contract ends in October next year. It follows an announcement in May by Ferrovial, a Spanish infrastructure company which took over Broadspectrum (formerly Transfield), that it would not be renewing its contract on Manus Island and Nauru when it ends in February.
Refugee rights activists have been stepping up the pressure on government for the camps to be closed and for the asylum seekers to be brought to Australia. Some, like No Business in Abuse, have been targeting Wilson Security with protests and calls for a boycott.
The leaking of the Nauru Files, which detailed allegations of Wilson employees assaulting asylum seekers and refugees, including sexual assault of women and children, has added to the pressure on Wilson Security. The Nauru Files also revealed that Wilson Security officials may have misled a Senate inquiry, by failing to fully reveal the number of assaults on children inside the Nauru detention centre.
Spokesperson for GetUp! Shen Narayanasamy said: “The offshore detention policy has failed: 2000 people have been unlawfully imprisoned on these islands for nearly 3 years.
“The PNG Government wants the camps closed, declaring the camps illegal. Immigration minister Peter Dutton has failed. The Prime Minister must stop ignoring the reality that these people must be brought here to safety.”
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