Company that manages Australia’s offshore detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island defends itself as ‘committed to highest standards of probity’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The company that manages Australia’s offshore detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island, Transfield Services, has seen an 8% drop in yearly profit.

On Thursday Transfield announced a year net profit of $48.6m. The announcement follows a series of divestments by shareholders in the company, which cite the abuses occurring at the Nauru and Manus Island detention centres as the reason for their departures.

Transfield defends evidence given at Senate inquiry into Nauru abuse Read more

In its announcement Transfield said that an “enhanced focus has been placed on the management and mitigation of environmental, social and governance risks”.

“This reflects the company’s commitment to ensuring that the processes, policies and activities across the group reflect high standards of internal control,” it said.

On Tuesday the Australian Financial Review reported that NGS Super, which provides superannuation for private school teachers, had agreed to sell its shares in Transfield on “moral grounds”.

The industry super Fund HESTA also sold its 3% stake in the company. It said there was a “significant quantum of evidence” of physical and sexual assaults in detention centres operated by Transfield.

Transfield defended its handling of abuse at the Nauru detention centre, and said it was “committed to the highest standards of probity and transparency in its operations globally.”

A Senate inquiry is under way into serious allegations of sexual assault and abuse at the Nauru detention centre.

The inquiry has heard evidence from a numbers of witnesses, some who have provided extensive documentation, that outlines serious concerns about abuses at the centres.

A number of serious allegations have been made about Wilson Security guards at the detention centre, which is contracted by Transfield.