Public servants will be grilled by the inquiry investigating what went wrong with Melbourne's quarantine hotels. Photo / News Corp Australia
Public servants will be grilled by the inquiry investigating what went wrong with Melbourne's quarantine hotels. Photo / News Corp Australia
A 19-year-old security guard was sacked after he asked a hotel guest if she wanted to go out for coffee after quarantine, an inquiry has heard.
The incident at Melbourne's Pan Pacific Hotel was one of two alleged inappropriate advances made by security guards contracted by Wilson Security during the hotel quarantine program.
When the complaint was investigated, the guard claimed the female guest had spoken to him on a number of occasions and they had "smiled" at each other and "exchanged pleasantries such as 'how are you', 'good morning' and so on".
On April 11, the guard saw the woman putting her rubbish bag out next to her door and took the chance to say something along the lines of, "Hey would you consider having a coffee with me once this quarantine period is over?"
The complaint was detailed in a submission to Melbourne's hotel quarantine inquiry by Dan Banks, the business development director of subcontracted security firm Signal88.
"The guard states that the guest had smiled at him and closed her hotel door," Banks wrote.
"The guard in question is 19 years old and when spoken to, he admitted making the comment, appreciated that in the circumstances it was inappropriate and he was very apologetic."
In another incident on April 14, a guard slipped a note under a female guest's door saying "Hey hun, add me on Snapchat".
A number of complaints about security guards were revealed on Wednesday afternoon in a statement from Gregory Watson, the general manager of regional operations in Victoria and Tasmania for Wilson Security.
Two guards, also subcontracted with Signal88, were sacked after standing back and not intervening as a male quarantine guest yelled and was abusive towards a female nurse.
A handful of other guards were sacked for being on their phone constantly during the shift, sleeping or refusing to wear PPE. One guard was reprimanded for loudly singing as he listened to music on his phone through headphones.
Watson said of the 23 incidents, 21 occurred during the first fortnight of the program.
He said Wilson had successfully implemented high standards, exemplified by the fact no Wilson guards tested positive to COVID-19.
"We took pretty much a no prisoners approach that this needs to be run very strictly and people need to comply with our instructions because this is not the kind of environment where people can have latitude," he said.
Members of the ADF (Australian Defence Force) assist with Covid testing in Melbourne. Photo / Getty
SECURITY GUARDS 'THREATENED WITH FINES'
Security guards were threatened with $20,000 fines after pushing back on a request to take quarantined hotel guests for fresh air walks, the inquiry has heard.
The startling allegation was made by Mr Watson as he gave evidence on Wednesday afternoon.
Frustrated guests, especially smokers, quickly emerged as an issue in the early days of the program, he said.
"After a couple of days it became apparent that people weren't happy to stay in a room for 14 days," he said.
Authorised officers at each hotel introduced fresh air walks, but didn't consult with Wilson and instead asked guards on the ground to take guests out, Watson said.
In one instance on April 8, guards pushed back and were threatened with a $20,000 fine for not following an authorised officer's request, according to Watson.
"This is obviously not a good way to do business, having people threatened with fines when they're trying to enforce quarantine guidelines," he said.
Watson said he emailed the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions over the issue and eventually extra guards were put on to take guests on walks.
Security guards were threatened with $20,000 fines after pushing back on a request to take quarantined hotel guests for fresh air walks, Gregory Watson from Wilson Security said.
The simple act of car pooling has been identified as the possible cause of COVID-19 transmission between guards at a Melbourne quarantine hotel, the inquiry has heard.
Shift changeovers and working on the same floor of the Stamford Plaza may have also been key to the virus spreading.
The inquiry into Victoria's ill-fated hotel quarantine program, from which virtually all cases currently circulating in the state originated, heard on Wednesday from a number of security firms subcontracted to guard returned travellers.
Mina Attalah from United Risk Management told the inquiry guards employed by him who tested positive at the Stamford Plaza had car pooled to work and potentially crossed paths by working on the same floor or during shift changeover.
There were no "obvious breaches" of infection control identified, Attalah said, such as security guards being in hotel rooms.
Guards from another firm, The Security Hub, also tested positive at the same hotel.
After the outbreak, each firm was directed by MSS Security, their head contractor, to tell guards to stop car pooling, the inquiry heard.
The Stamford Plaza outbreak is thought to be the origin of about 10 per cent of current cases circulating in Victoria, with the other 90 per cent coming from Rydges.
The inquiry heard Sterling Security, a different subcontractor firm, never confirmed a guard who eventually tested positive to COVID-19 at Rydges had completed online infection control training.
The security guard, who can only be referred to as Guard 16, previously told the inquiry he went on to deliver food while infectious.
Sam Aggarwal from Sterling Security gives evidence at the hotel quarantine inquiry. His firm was subcontracted to guard returned travellers.
Sterling Security director Sam Aggarwal said it was a "surprise" to find out the guard had done that.
