Around the time that Unified's guards were alleged to have been on the grog while guarding quarantine hotels, and the viral seeds of 768 deaths were escaping into the community, Victoria's Executive Director of Employment Inclusion Katrina Curry was singing Unified Security's praises to the highest office in the state - the Trades Hall Council.

So when the 'Union peak' group decided it wanted to learn more about Unified Security and their work, it dispatched the taxpayer funded Ms Curry to help out.

Repubished - original published 19 August 2020.

Victorian Workcover asked to prosecute over Andrews govt hotel quarantine fiasco

Wednesday, 19 August 2020

Counsel assisting the Hotel Quarantine Inquiry Ben Ihle delivered a devastating final submission to the Inquiry today .

“The failure by the hotel quarantine program to contain this virus is today responsible for the deaths of 768 people and the infection of some 18,490,” he said.

“One only needs to pause and to reflect on those figures to appreciate the full scope of devastation and despair.”

People involved in the management (or mismanagement) of the program may well find themselves answering criminal charges under Victoria's industrial manslaughter laws.

On 23 April Crown Resorts received a very serious detailed complaint against Unified Security and their staff working at Crown's Melbourne hotel.

The report gave times, dates and places and named names, alleging:

• Guards were drinking and were drunk on duty
• Guards regularly sexually harassed female staff
• Guards were involved in a physical fight in the hotel lobby with one guard choking another - police attended

Perhaps most seriously, the report alleged serious financial fraud, including theft, false invoicing and falsified accounts.

Here's the note from Crown's regulatory and compliance manager to the Victorian Government's Hotel Quarantine Agency Commander, Rachaele May.

So what do you think happened next?

Did the Victorian Government investigate the alleged fraud, or take the matter to police?

Did it engage an external auditor?

Did it interview witnesses and Unified management to test the allegations?

If you answered none of the above, you'd be correct.

Unbelievably, the Victorian Government's Principal Policy Officer, Inclusion Employment, sent the complaint against Unified Security TO UNIFIED SECURITY, and asked it to investigate itself!

"Please investigate yourself, take appropriate action and let us know how you go".

He even included Crown's original report to the government.

Unified responded by sacking some staff - and the Victorian Government accepted that as the end of the matter.

Several further complaints were laid against Unified and its staff.  In each instance, the Victorian Government officers sent all the details to Unified and asked it to investigate itself.

Incompetence is the kindest way to view this shameful episode, which frankly borders on corruption.

Very strange announcement to make to the world.

So, 24 minutes before the National Cabinet meeting finished at 1:00PM on Friday 27 March 2020, David Millward was advising his staff at 12:36PM to go on to a Health Department Web page to undertake a 10 minute course in infection control.

My, what coincidence!

I recall Premier's Department Secretary, Chris Eccles gave evidence that he stepped out of the National Cabinet to give Jobs Department Secretary a heads up on the move to Hotel Quarantine and asked him about his ability to source hotel rooms and to check with someone else on logistics.

Jobs Secretary, Simon Phemister said in his evidence he also phoned Kym Peake, Secretary of the Health Department to give her a heads up as he formed the view that her Department would be engaged in the health responsibilities of Hotel Quarantine.

So did someone, in the Jobs Department or someone in thee Health Department, give a "Heads up" to David Millward of Unified Security, before or during the meeting of the National Cabinet when it decided on Hotel Quarantine?

What about National Cabinet secrecy?

The Hotel Quarantine Inquiry is meeting again at 10:00AM tomorrow for hearings.

Perhaps they should be alerted to this and add this to their stated plans to examine in detail the contracts of private security and the payments to them.

Thanks to Jeff of FNQ

From the Kimberley Kitching Memorial Training Institute - the 'it only takes 10 minutes' approach to turning an unlicensed security operator into a qualified infection quarantine control professional.

How could the virus escape Victoria's experts?

From the owner of Unified Security to his 'can meet any requirements' professionals.

From the owner of Unified to the Victorian Government's Executive Director of Employment Inclusion

And as a lovely souvenir, the owner of Unified Security received this cut-out-and-keep certificate of acknowledgement that he'd put in the required 'only takes 10 minutes' computer tick and flick time.

UPDATED

From the witness statement of David Millward to Victoria's Hotel Quarantine Inquiry

Here's The Age's report about Unified Security's licence expiration:

At 11.33PM on Friday 27 March, the Victorian Government's Executive Director of Employment Inclusion wrote to Unified Security's majority owner to effectively ask if he wanted what turned out to be a $30M contract.

There were a few problems, like the fact that none of Unified's officers held a security licence in Victoria.

 But that was no problem for Victoria's Department of Inclusion.

A flurry of text messages followed.

And that was that.

It was good to know that the unlicensed security company had "the capability at the moment for any requirements".

They could invade China.  Fix world hunger.  

You name the requirements, they have the capability at the moment.

By the end of the week, Victoria's Principal Policy Officer, Inclusion Employment had set out 'the requirements' in a one page email.

The boys all agreed that it looked great, so the one page email was then made into a Schedule to a $30M contract.

Unsurprisingly, David didn't have any issues or queries.

Who would with an offer like that!

So if you were wondering how to go from being

• an operator with no licensed bosses,
• an unaccredited, and
• non-registered security service provider to the Victorian Government

to

• Cracking a $30M instant contract!

This is how it's done!!!!!

Why aren't we all rich?

We have lost so much.

No that's wrong.

We have had so much taken from us.

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