Security contractors bow to activist pressure on detention centres
By Jenny Wiggins
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection is holding back from launching a new tender for companies to operate detention centres at Nauru and Manus Island as security contractors shy away from future work at the camps.
The Department told The Australian Financial Review it was "progressing options to ensure services are delivered in regional processing countries" but not currently running any tenders to find new operators after Broadspectrum's contract ends in October 2017.
Finding companies willing to work at detention centres has become increasingly difficult due to ongoing protests by human rights activists.
Wilson Security, which provides guards to detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island as a subcontractor to Broadspectrum, said on Thursday it would not re-tender for work when its contract finished because the work no longer fitted its "strategic priorities".
