Coronavirus quarantine security operator dumped

Security company at centre of Melbourne’s hotel quarantine outbreak has licence revoked, given two weeks to wind up its operations.

Pictured: David Millward from his Facebook page.

The security company at the centre of Melbourne’s hotel quarantine outbreak has had its master licence revoked in NSW and been given two weeks to wind up its operations and involvement in Sydney’s hotel quarantine system. 

The NSW Police Security Licensing Enforcement Directorate made the decision to cancel Unified Security Group’s licence on Friday, following a five-month investigation into allegations that the firm had “engaged in purposely misleading and deceptive conduct”.

The review was sparked by revelations published in The Australian that senior government figures were concerned about the company’s connection to another business that previously traded as Unified Security Group.

The revocation will force a mammoth changing of the guard throughout Sydney’s quarantine hotels, with Unified Security Group having provided up to a third of the security workers ­required to staff the operation.

A spokesperson for NSW Police, which oversees the state’s hotel quarantine program, said they were confident the operation would not be adversely affected by the Unified Security Group’s exit.

“To minimise the impact on the company’s staff and clients, the revocation is due to come into ­effect on Friday April 2, 2021,” the spokesperson said.

“The NSW Police Force and partner agencies have enacted contingency planning and are confident the revocation will not impact on delivery of operations to the hotel quarantine program.”

A spokesman for Unified ­Security Group said the company was “extremely disappointed and perplexed by this decision from SLED.”

“We will be appealing the decision. Unified Security has worked tirelessly and in close collaboration with the NSW Police for the past 12 months to provide the best possible hotel quarantine services. The security services we have provided at the Sydney hotels have been responsive, professional and effective, and have helped keep the people of NSW safe. This has been ignored by SLED.”

Unified Security managing director David Millward.

Unified Security has been a significant player in hotel quarantine systems throughout Australia, and received at least $18m by September for providing services to NSW’s hotel quarantine scheme.

The loss of Unified Security from the NSW hotel quarantine program poses a major problem for the state government, which has already been grappling with shortages of staff. 

Documents released by a NSW parliamentary order reveal that police have been called in to make up the shortfall in staff at NSW hotel quarantine sites. 

NSW recently announced a 2000-place security training program to boost guard numbers. 

NSW Police would not elaborate on the precise findings of its investigation into Unified Security Group, saying that “as the company has a right of review to the decision, no further comment will be made”.

However, it is understood the company had its licence revoked after the SLED investigation found the company had contravened the Security Industry Act and that a close associate of the company was not eligible to be a close associate given his former management of another failed company.

SLED director Cameron Smith last week told a NSW parliament budget estimates committee that the directorate was investigating whether Unified Security managing director David Millward “was a principal of that organisation”.

The NSW parliamentary committee meeting heard evidence from minutes of a creditors meeting that suggested links between Mr Millward and a failed business that previously traded as Unified Security Group before going into liquidation owing $4.5m to the ­Office of State Revenue.

The Weekend Australian is not suggesting that any illegal “phoenix activity” took place.