‘Atrocious incidents’ known to detention centre bosses
A private offshore prison company has been fined for a series of egregious security and safety failures at an Australian detention center, but the government will not release details.
The company that runs Villawood Detention Center Secure Journeys has been criticized for alleged mismanagement since it took over the onshore detention facilities in a $2.3 billion contract in 2025 despite concerns about previous incidents at Sydney’s Parklea prison.
Staff at the US-based company, which operates as a global Management and Training Company, were sent to hospital in September after trying to enter a burning Villawood room without any protective equipment.
A detainee locked himself in a room and started a fire, Border Force Commissioner Gavan Reynolds told a Senate inquiry on Thursday.
It is understood that the US-based president of Secure Journey was summoned to Australia by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke for dressing following the incident.
Mr Reynolds said staff at Villawood had since “received training”.
“We have done a lot of work with Secure Journeys to ensure that staff have adequate training to deal with this situation and are adequately equipped to do so,” he said.
But NSW Greens senator David Shoebridge said it was clear not enough was being done to protect detainees and staff.
While the company maintained control of the detention facility, at least 12 individuals separately escaped from Villawood; The average is just under one person per month.
Mr Reynolds defended Secure Journey’s handling of “appalling incident(s)”, including sexual assaults, and said 85 per cent of the 3,824 immigrants detained in the financial year to March had a criminal background.
“Two-thirds of this number consists of high or extreme risk detainees. From time to time, incidents will occur among detainees and these will be dealt with,” he said.
He did not disclose the total fines imposed on Secure Journeys in connection with the Villawood incidents, citing “legal and professional” reasons.
Instead, he preempted questions about the figure but confirmed he knew how much Safe Travel had been fined.
“This is a recurring situation where we have witnesses who sit there and have information and for one reason or another they refuse to provide information,” Senator Shoebridge said.
