Stressed ex-guards seek refuge in court

THE Federal Government is facing a new multi-million-dollar litigation threat from dozens of ex-detention centre officers, citing psychiatric harm suffered at the centres.

THE Federal Government is facing litigation threat from dozens of ex-detention centre officers.

University of NSW psychiatry expert Dr Zachary Steel said several such cases were pending in courts around the country.

The cases, many worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, are being pursued against both the Federal Government and past and present private sector detention centre operators, including G4S and Serco.

Dr Steel said the cases arose from workers' compensation claims and "the psychological damage that happened to them as a result of their experience in detention centres".

The news comes a day after multi-million-dollar legal action by ex-asylum seekers against the Government and detention centre operators was revealed.

Department of Immigration and G4S spokespeople said they would not comment on cases that may come before the courts, while a spokeswoman for Serco was unaware of cases: "Our priority is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees and those in their care."

Former Woomera detention centre GP Dr Simon Lockwood said he knew of several cases of former guards suing the Government.

In a rare interview, Dr Lockwood - the longest-serving medical officer at Woomera - said some detention officers were conducting actions through WorkCover after suffering "post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders".

Dr Lockwood's 2004 diary of Woomera incidents told of detainees who signed suicide notes in blood, and of children who tried to kill themselves.

Seven years later, he still treats detention centre guards who suffered psychiatric harm; some who now make a 1200km round-trip to see him. Many "will never work again", he said.

One of the problems he cites is poor staffing levels. He claimed the lack of the need under the detention centre contract for operators to provide a minimum number of staff: "In my time, Woomera was constantly understaffed."

He described some of the events officers encountered as horrific. "It was a toxic environment, not just for detainees. And it has a ripple effect. Lots of officers turn to alcohol, and take out their frustrations on families."

A spokesman for the Immigration Department said claims by ex-staff and detainees did not always succeed in reaching enormous settlements.