Protestors Crashed Victorian Parliament Today Over Offshore Detention Centres
Don't just get mad about what's happening in America when there's work to do here.
A group of protestors crashed Victorian Parliament today to demand the government cancel its contracts with Wilson Security over the firm’s role in Australia’s offshore detention centres.
A dozen or so protestors occupied the Parliament’s foyer, while others interrupted Question Time to unfurl banners reading “refugee abusers are guarding our Parliament” and “Vic Govt — Refuse to be complicit”. They called on the Victorian Government departments that currently have contracts with Wilson Security to end them immediately, saying that “as a company prepared to violate human rights for profit it must be disqualified”.
Protestors interrupted Victorian Question Time today calling on the Parliament to boycott Wilson Security over their horrible treatment of refugees. They have a good point. #springst pic.twitter.com/aoBIw6Ug6b
— Ellen Sandell (@ellensandell) June 19, 2018
“Wilson Security stands accused as one of the main perpetrators of human rights abuses in immigration detention centres managed by the Australian Government,” Whistleblowers, Activists and Citizens Alliance (WACA) spokesperson Charlotte Lynch said.
“It has no social licence to operate in our communities or public institutions.”
Wilson Security was contracted to run security at offshore processing centres on Manus Island and Nauru from 2012 to late 2017, and its track record there was less than stellar. Remember the Nauru files, that huge data leak back in 2016? It included a tonne of evidence of dodgy conduct by Wilson staff, including evidence that Wilson Security was routinely downgrading threats of self harm and reports of abuse.
The files also revealed Wilson Security did not disclose at least 16 serious allegations of child abuse and sexual assault to Parliament when asked. It was a Wilson Security staff member who allegedly told an asylum seeker who had been sexually assaulted that “rape in Australia is very common and people don’t get punished”. It was also Wilson Security which paid a guard to keep quiet about an alleged sexual assault on Manus.
A dozen protest in #springst foyer protesting against Wilson Security who work at parliament. Angry with refugee treatment @abcmelbourne pic.twitter.com/O5JAyVnMFe
— Richard Willingham (@rwillingham) June 19, 2018
Wilson has denied the worst of this wrongdoing and maintains that it “carried out its contractual obligations to the best of its ability and takes pride in its performance”. At the end of the day, though, the company undeniably made the decision to accept money to help run Australia’s widely criticised offshore detention scheme, and today’s protestors argued that even that’s enough to be done with them.
Today’s protest wasn’t the only recent attempt to force a boycott of Wilson. Earlier this year, after months of petitions and campaigns from activists and artists, the National Gallery of Victoria confirmed it had ditched Wilson Security as its security contractor.
WACA is requesting a meeting with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to discuss ending government contracts with Wilson Security once and for all. We’ll keep you posted on whether he agrees.