Transfield Services Restricts Staff's Social Media Freedom and Independence

Transfield Services, the company that manages Australia's offshore immigration detention centres, has introduced a strict social media policy that severely limits its employees' freedom to share their thoughts and opinions on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. Workers on Nauru and Manus Island are now forbidden from revealing any information about the treatment of asylum seekers, joining certain political parties or churches that oppose offshore processing, or engaging in activities that might conflict with the company's interests. This policy has sparked a heated debate about the rights of staff and the secrecy surrounding offshore detention.

Key Takeaways:

• Transfield Services has introduced a social media policy that restricts staff's ability to communicate with asylum seekers on social media, even if the staff member did not know they were following them.
• The policy forbids staff from joining political parties or churches that oppose offshore processing, and from engaging in activities that might conflict with the company's interests.
• The policy also restricts staff from revealing any information about the treatment of asylum seekers or the operations of the detention centre, citing concerns about the potential risks to operations and reputation.
• Staff who violate this policy could face disciplinary action, including being fired.
• The policy has been met with criticism from current and former staff members, who argue that it severely limits their civil liberties and independence.
• A former staff member on Nauru described the policy as "designed to scare staff with the threat of losing their jobs" and to keep the treatment of asylum seekers in the centre secret.
• The Human Rights Law Centre has condemned the policy, calling it "excessive, self-serving and undemocratic".
• Despite Transfield's restrictions, conditions on Manus Island and Nauru have been exposed recently through pictures, video, and testimony sent by workers and asylum seekers.
• A Senate committee inquiry is currently underway to investigate the conditions on Nauru, during which up to a dozen workers and asylum seekers plan to testify and share documents that reveal the government's knowledge of abuse on the island.

Statistics:

• The social media policy was introduced in February 2017.
• Up to a dozen workers on Nauru and Manus are preparing submissions and are prepared to testify before the Senate committee inquiry.
• A former staff member on Nauru described the detention centre as a place where staff are "kept in line through fear and intimidation".
• The Human Rights Law Centre estimates that at least 100 cases of sexual and physical abuse of asylum seekers on Nauru have been reported to the authorities since 2013.
• Conditions on Manus Island and Nauru have been criticized as inhumane and cruel by numerous human rights organizations and experts.
• Despite the criticisms, the Australian government has refused to close the detention centres, citing concerns about national security.

Sources:

• Guardian Australia: "Transfield Services restricts staff's social media freedom and independence"
• Human Rights Law Centre: "Australia's offshore detention policy is excessive, self-serving and undemocratic"
• Amnesty International: "Australia's offshore detention policy is a human rights disaster"
• United Nations: "The treatment of asylum seekers in Australia's offshore detention centres is a serious human rights concern"