Security guards’ explosive claims on hotel quarantine conditions
A security guard who worked at Crown Promenade Hotel in Victoria’s issue-plagued hotel quarantine fiasco claims he had $8000 put in his account that he was asked to distribute to nine other guards. And that’s not all that went on.
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Security guards employed at Crown Promenade Hotel while it housed quarantined travellershave alleged they were paid $22 an hour without providing their tax-file numbers and did not receive superannuation or even pay slips.
The allegations are outlined in three written statements seen by the Herald Sun, in which one guard alleges he was given money to distribute to nine other guards.
The guards, who worked at the hotel in March and April, allege they were hired by a security company subcontracted by Unified Security which was responsible for security at the hotel.
In one statement a guard says that before he began work at the site he spoke to a manager who he later found worked at Unified Security who “offered me $22 per hour cash in hand”.
The guard says that despite requests to be paid via his tax-file number “I still received a cash payment directly into my bank account”.
Another guard says despite being employed by subcontractors, Unified staff on the site were actually calling the shots.
He also says he was asked to procure other guards even though “I told him that I did not have an ABN nor do I have a Master security license”.
The guard says he was asked to provide his bank account for payment.
“He also gave me a break down of the guards’ pays for the deposit he put in my account.”
The statement says almost $8000 was deposited into his account to pay for the work of nine security guards, none of whom were given pay slips or received superannuation contributions.
David Millward, Unified’s director of national operations did not respond to calls from the Herald Sun.
The revelations come as the Herald Sun can reveal there were talks between police and senior department officials earlier this year about the potential for support at the hotels used for quarantine — but that they never progressed to a formal request for help.
At the time, officers were already running a strong community campaign to crack down on people flouting stay at home orders, leading to concerns about stretching Victoria Police resources if additional hotel security work was required.
In many other states, some police presence has been used at quarantine sites, including in NSW.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said while the organisation “regularly speaks to government and the relevant departments about the statewide response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic”, there was no official request for assistance.
CALLS FOR CRIMINAL PROBE INTO QUARANTINE FIASCO