Cashing in on refugees, duo make $20 million a month at Manus Island

Quote:

On the second working day of the year as most Australians eased into summer holidays, the federal government quietly extended one of its most controversial contracts, an extra $109 million to provide security for refugees on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The bump in value made the little-known Paladin Group one of the biggest government contractors in Australia, having won tenders worth $423 million for its 22 months of work on Manus. For a group with one entity registered to a beach shack on Kangaroo Island and another to a post box in Singapore, it's an unlikely position. As federal Parliament prepares for another fractious debate around refugees on Monday, an investigation by The Australian Financial Review has found the Department of Home Affairs overlooked allegations of deception, lying during the tender process and questionable payments when it extended Paladin's contract on January 3. These allegations emerged during a bitter legal dispute between Paladin and its former chief executive for PNG, Craig Coleman, who is suing the company for breach of contract. In addition, Paladin's founder and key executive, Craig Thrupp, is no longer able to enter PNG, while another local director, Kisokau Powaseu, was detained in Port Moresby last month and charged with misappropriating funds and money laundering. Paladin, controlled by Mr Thrupp, a former Australian soldier, and his business partner Ian Stewart, has also recently purchased the contentious PNG security outfit Black Swan, a company repeatedly forced to deny rumours it has links to the family of Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.

Quote:

Calculations by the Financial Review indicate Paladin is being paid on average $20.8 million a month by the government to provide security at all three sites and manage the East Lorengau Transit Centre. That amount has risen 48 per cent from an average of $14 million a month last year. A Home Affairs spokesperson said there were now 422 people housed at the three camps – 213 at East Lorengau, 111 at West Lorengau and 98 asylum seekers at Hillside Haus. That means on a daily basis it now costs the Australian government over $1600 to house each refugee on Manus, not including food and welfare services, more than double the price of a suite at the Shangri-La hotel in Sydney.

Click link for full article.

who opened Manus in the first place....




sheeez stop blaming this govt for something you lot left them to deal with......

now you want them brought to Australia     where they will never ever leave... and they have already been judged not to be refugees.MORE FREAKING COST

do you seriously think the cost of all this remains the same as when labor reopened the doors.... ::) ::) ::)

another nutter....

Probably why they're hell bent on keeping them on Alcatraz , brown paper bags are libs specialty

cods wrote on Feb 11^th, 2019 at 10:47am:

who opened Manus in the first place.... sheeez stop blaming this govt for something you lot left them to deal with...... now you want them brought to Australia     where they will never ever leave... and they have already been judged not to be refugees.MORE FREAKING COST do you seriously think the cost of all this remains the same as when labor reopened the doors.... ::) ::) ::) another nutter....

Really?


Offshore processing statistics

As of 21 October 2018:

- there are 652 people left in Nauru (541 are recognised refugees) and 626 left in PNG (495 are recognised refugees).

Most people sent to Manus Island are genuine refugees, new figures show

"Almost 90 per cent of the asylum seekers Australia has sent to Papua New Guinea are genuine refugees, new figures suggest.

"Figures tendered to the PNG Supreme Court this week, and obtained by Fairfax, show that just 12.3 per cent of the detainees on Manus Island who have been processed were found not to have valid claims for protection.

"This means that 87.7 per cent of people who have been assessed are refugees - an almost identical proportion to the number of boat arrivals to Australia who were later found to be genuine refugees.

"Figures from 2012-13 show 88 per cent of boat arrivals were found to be genuine refugees."

cods wrote on Feb 11^th, 2019 at 10:47am:

who opened Manus in the first place.... sheeez stop blaming this govt for something you lot left them to deal with...... now you want them brought to Australia     where they will never ever leave... and they have already been judged not to be refugees.MORE FREAKING COST do you seriously think the cost of all this remains the same as when labor reopened the doors.... ::) ::) ::) another nutter....

OH you want to stop the boats but keep the corruption ?

Typical of Liberals.

Its time wrote on Feb 11^th, 2019 at 10:49am:

Probably why they're hell bent on keeping them on Alcatraz , brown paper bags are libs specialty

Monopolies are always in their business and make sure to unfairly snuff out any competition ;) Only way a libbo can run a business if the playing field is anything but level :(

it's unbelievable the level of corruption from the libs.

what happened to the coalition corruption thread? There must have been heaps added to it during my 14 month hiatus

This is the most damning bit:

Quote:

on a daily basis it now costs the Australian government over $1600 to house each refugee on Manus

$1,600 per day, per prisoner.

Who's getting that money?

Bam wrote on Feb 11^th, 2019 at 5:32pm:

$1,600 per day, per prisoner.

and the people that want them there were complaining that they cost $400 a week on the dole  :D :D :D :D

Bam wrote on Feb 11^th, 2019 at 5:32pm:

This is the most damning bit: Quote: on a daily basis it now costs the Australian government over $1600 to house each refugee on Manus $1,600 per day, per prisoner. Who's getting that money?

Liberal donors/businessmen?

stunspore wrote on Feb 11^th, 2019 at 5:35pm:

Bam wrote on Feb 11th, 2019 at 5:32pm: This is the most damning bit: Quote: on a daily basis it now costs the Australian government over $1600 to house each refugee on Manus $1,600 per day, per prisoner. Who's getting that money? Liberal donors/businessmen?

We'll find out once a Federal anti-corruption commission is up and running and we're putting these crooks in jail.

John Smith wrote on Feb 11^th, 2019 at 5:26pm:

it's unbelievable the level of corruption from the libs. what happened to the coalition corruption thread? There must have been heaps added to it during my 14 month hiatus

I will find it

Keep an eye on this. The Senate is going to be probing this next week and it will be very interesting.

How the hell can a two-person company operating out of a shack on Kangaroo Island land a $20 million a month contract without the Minister signing off on it?

Just ANOTHER reason why the Coalition of Corruption do not want any retrospective investigations of the dealings of their government.

There's someone on LinkedIn named Karen Dutton who's apparently a "curriculum officer" at Paladin Solutions PNG. A relative?

Bam wrote on Feb 11^th, 2019 at 9:17pm:

stunspore wrote on Feb 11th, 2019 at 5:35pm: Bam wrote on Feb 11th, 2019 at 5:32pm: This is the most damning bit: Quote: on a daily basis it now costs the Australian government over $1600 to house each refugee on Manus $1,600 per day, per prisoner. Who's getting that money? Liberal donors/businessmen? We'll find out once a Federal anti-corruption commission is up and running and we're putting these crooks in jail.

wishful thinking...

John Smith wrote on Feb 11^th, 2019 at 5:26pm:

it's unbelievable the level of corruption from the libs. what happened to the coalition corruption thread? There must have been heaps added to it during my 14 month hiatus

Not when you look at the stupidity of Coalition supporters....Even when faced with the facts that the Coalition have paid out hundreds of millions on dubious contract they blame Labor....The Coalition know it's supporters do not care about innocent people so using them as a wedge is SOP for these ass holes!!!

>:( >:( >:(

No wonder Morrison doesn't want them here,  he is making a motza having them on Alcatraz

philperth2010 wrote on Feb 16^th, 2019 at 3:38pm:

John Smith wrote on Feb 11th, 2019 at 5:26pm: it's unbelievable the level of corruption from the libs. what happened to the coalition corruption thread? There must have been heaps added to it during my 14 month hiatus Not when you look at the stupidity of Coalition supporters....Even when faced with the facts that the Coalition have paid out hundreds of millions on dubious contract they blame Labor....The Coalition know it's supporters do not care about innocent people so using them as a wedge is SOP for these ass holes!!! >:( >:( >:(

Good point!

Bam wrote on Feb 16^th, 2019 at 3:26pm:

Keep an eye on this. The Senate is going to be probing this next week and it will be very interesting. How the hell can a two-person company operating out of a shack on Kangaroo Island land a $20 million a month contract without the Minister signing off on it? Just ANOTHER reason why the Coalition of Corruption do not want any retrospective investigations of the dealings of their government. There's someone on LinkedIn named Karen Dutton who's apparently a "curriculum officer" at Paladin Solutions PNG. A relative?

Senate estimates where are you?

it gets worse.



Quote:

The first story is one reported all this week in the Financial Review about the awarding of work worth almost $500 million over 22 months to a company providing security for refugees at Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. As the paper noted, that is more than global accounting firm Ernst & Young has billed the government in five years. And it's not just any company, but one they reported was registered to a beach shack on Kangaroo Island and to a post box in Singapore. The Paladin group won the contract after a restricted tender and, according to the Financial Review, the Department of Home Affairs "took the highly unusual step of making an advance payment of around $10 million to Paladin, as the company did not have the money to begin the contract". The paper reported that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has refused to release details, saying it would "cause damage to Australia's international relations with PNG". It quoted a person "with knowledge of the tender process" saying "there was pressure put on the Department [now Home Affairs] by the PNG Government to ensure Paladin was appointed". There is a lot more in the same vein. Mr Dutton says he had "no sight" of the tender process and it was a matter for department officials. Which makes next week's Senate Estimates hearings completely compelling.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-16/laura-tingle-parliaments-dying-days-two-things-overlooked/10816816

Dutton claims he had no sight of the tender process? then what the bugger is he signing a cheque for $10m for?  :o :o :o

John Smith wrote on Feb 16^th, 2019 at 6:49pm:

it gets worse. Quote: The first story is one reported all this week in the Financial Review about the awarding of work worth almost $500 million over 22 months to a company providing security for refugees at Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. As the paper noted, that is more than global accounting firm Ernst & Young has billed the government in five years. And it's not just any company, but one they reported was registered to a beach shack on Kangaroo Island and to a post box in Singapore. The Paladin group won the contract after a restricted tender and, according to the Financial Review, the Department of Home Affairs "took the highly unusual step of making an advance payment of around $10 million to Paladin, as the company did not have the money to begin the contract". The paper reported that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has refused to release details, saying it would "cause damage to Australia's international relations with PNG". It quoted a person "with knowledge of the tender process" saying "there was pressure put on the Department [now Home Affairs] by the PNG Government to ensure Paladin was appointed". There is a lot more in the same vein. Mr Dutton says he had "no sight" of the tender process and it was a matter for department officials. Which makes next week's Senate Estimates hearings completely compelling. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-16/laura-tingle-parliaments-dying-days-two-things-overlooked/10816816 Dutton claims he had no sight of the tender process? then what the bugger is he signing a cheque for $10m for?  :o :o :o

How much did they donate to Libs and which mates are sitting on board?

Its time wrote on Feb 16^th, 2019 at 9:51pm:

How much did they donate to Libs and which mates are sitting on board?

next weeks senate probe should be interesting indeed. ;)

John Smith wrote on Feb 16^th, 2019 at 9:57pm:

Its time wrote on Feb 16th, 2019 at 9:51pm: How much did they donate to Libs and which mates are sitting on board? next weeks senate probe should be interesting indeed. ;)

I think it is rare that ALP will do any damage to coalition.  They just aren't as good at dirt as the coalition.  Coalition does far more damage to itself than their opponents.

Its time wrote on Feb 16^th, 2019 at 9:51pm:

How much did they donate to Libs and which mates are sitting on board?

I want to know who this Karen Dutton is ... the surname seems familiar somehow.

Bam wrote on Feb 11^th, 2019 at 5:32pm:

This is the most damning bit: Quote: on a daily basis it now costs the Australian government over $1600 to house each refugee on Manus $1,600 per day, per prisoner. Who's getting that money?

It's the same story as Aboriginal affairs ... a tonne spent but none of it sees the people it's aimed at, it all goes into the pockets of the connected.

And then they get to herd the sheeple up with the scandalous total figure and nobody is helped ... but man do we resent them for it.

It works.

Bam wrote on Feb 16^th, 2019 at 10:48pm:

Its time wrote on Feb 16th, 2019 at 9:51pm: How much did they donate to Libs and which mates are sitting on board? I want to know who this Karen Dutton is ... the surname seems familiar somehow.

Well well well

stunspore wrote on Feb 16^th, 2019 at 10:03pm:

John Smith wrote on Feb 16th, 2019 at 9:57pm: Its time wrote on Feb 16th, 2019 at 9:51pm: How much did they donate to Libs and which mates are sitting on board? next weeks senate probe should be interesting indeed. ;) I think it is rare that ALP will do any damage to coalition.  They just aren't as good at dirt as the coalition.  Coalition does far more damage to itself than their opponents.

I agree. I don't get it. You'd think they would have caught on by now. Everyone else has, why can't their media people?

Its time wrote on Feb 17^th, 2019 at 3:38am:

Bam wrote on Feb 16th, 2019 at 10:48pm: Its time wrote on Feb 16th, 2019 at 9:51pm: How much did they donate to Libs and which mates are sitting on board? I want to know who this Karen Dutton is ... the surname seems familiar somehow. Well well well

Purely coincidence.  ::) ::) ::) ::)

John Smith wrote on Feb 17^th, 2019 at 9:13am:

Its time wrote on Feb 17th, 2019 at 3:38am: Bam wrote on Feb 16th, 2019 at 10:48pm: Its time wrote on Feb 16th, 2019 at 9:51pm: How much did they donate to Libs and which mates are sitting on board? I want to know who this Karen Dutton is ... the surname seems familiar somehow. Well well well Purely coincidence.  ::) ::) ::) ::)

I haven't seen any independent corroboration that this person even exists, so take it with a grain of salt. If she does exist and she's linked to the Minister somehow, it's a corruption scandal that will ensure the Coalition are unelectable for at least a decade.

Deary deary me it just wouldn't be the liberal party without another suspect transaction or a scandal

If it's true that Karen Dutton is Peter's sister and she works for Paladin ... wow. Senate estimates had better be asking about this.