Workers at Australia’s on-shore immigration detention network say conditions have deteriorated sharply since United States contractor Management & Training Corporation (MTC) and its local subsidiary Secure Journeys took over from Serco in March 2025.
Speaking to the Guardian and the United Workers Union (UWU), officers allege that the new operator has cut frontline jobs by almost half – from about 1,900 in 2023 to roughly 1,000 late last year – to meet profit targets. Former guards describe chaotic rosters, minimal training and chronic understaffing that has left some compounds supervised by a single officer. The result, they claim, is a spike in “critical incidents”, including assaults, self-harm and two murders, with detainees left locked in rooms for hours because no staff are available to escort them to medical appointments or outdoor yards.
Detainees interviewed say basic services such as English classes, legal consultations and mental-health counselling have been slashed. One asylum seeker at Yongah Hill in Western Australia reported waiting three weeks for antibiotics after a tooth abscess. Another at Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation said rising tensions meant “everyone is scared – detainees and officers alike”.
![Staff warn Australia’s immigration detention centres are being “run like prisons” under new private operator]()
Businesses and individuals navigating Australia’s complex visa landscape can streamline applications and monitor compliance through VisaHQ’s online platform. From visitor and work visas to permanent residency pathways, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) provides real-time status updates, document checks and expert guidance, reducing the risk of inadvertent overstays that could lead to detention.
Greens senator David Shoebridge has called on the Albanese government to terminate MTC’s $2 billion, five-year contract and accelerate community-based alternatives to detention. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil told parliament on Thursday that an urgent compliance review is under way and that “sanctions, including contract cancellation, are on the table” if standards are not met.
For global mobility managers the uproar highlights the reputational and duty-of-care risks companies face when employees or their dependants fall into Australia’s detention system after a visa cancellation. Advisers recommend proactive monitoring of staff visa conditions, rapid appeals if a cancellation notice is issued and comprehensive travel-risk briefings for secondees arriving on temporary visas.
Speaking to the Guardian and the United Workers Union (UWU), officers allege that the new operator has cut frontline jobs by almost half – from about 1,900 in 2023 to roughly 1,000 late last year – to meet profit targets. Former guards describe chaotic rosters, minimal training and chronic understaffing that has left some compounds supervised by a single officer. The result, they claim, is a spike in “critical incidents”, including assaults, self-harm and two murders, with detainees left locked in rooms for hours because no staff are available to escort them to medical appointments or outdoor yards.
Detainees interviewed say basic services such as English classes, legal consultations and mental-health counselling have been slashed. One asylum seeker at Yongah Hill in Western Australia reported waiting three weeks for antibiotics after a tooth abscess. Another at Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation said rising tensions meant “everyone is scared – detainees and officers alike”.
Businesses and individuals navigating Australia’s complex visa landscape can streamline applications and monitor compliance through VisaHQ’s online platform. From visitor and work visas to permanent residency pathways, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) provides real-time status updates, document checks and expert guidance, reducing the risk of inadvertent overstays that could lead to detention.
Greens senator David Shoebridge has called on the Albanese government to terminate MTC’s $2 billion, five-year contract and accelerate community-based alternatives to detention. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil told parliament on Thursday that an urgent compliance review is under way and that “sanctions, including contract cancellation, are on the table” if standards are not met.
For global mobility managers the uproar highlights the reputational and duty-of-care risks companies face when employees or their dependants fall into Australia’s detention system after a visa cancellation. Advisers recommend proactive monitoring of staff visa conditions, rapid appeals if a cancellation notice is issued and comprehensive travel-risk briefings for secondees arriving on temporary visas.
