Human Rights Council of Australia et al vs Global Solutions
Case overview
| Date filed | 15 June 2005 |
|---|---|
| Current status | Accord |
| Issue | GSL management of detention centres in Australia |
| Summary of the case | The complaint alleges that GSL had breached the human rights and consumer interests provisions of the Guidelines. Specifically, GSL failed to remove children from immigration detention following recommendations of health care professionals. The complaint also states GSL is violating the Guidelines’ consumer interest provision by misrepresenting its policies, procedures and practices with regards to human rights. GSL claims to be “committed to promoting best practice in human rights”. |
| Developments/Outcome | NGOs raised the complaint at the annual meeting of NCPs in Paris on June 15, 2005. Two days later, the Australian government announced that it was going to transfer all families – not just families seeking asylum - from detention centres to community detention. The Australian NCP held several meetings with the complainants during its initial assessment and officially accepted the case on August 1, 2005. After several rounds of mediation meetings, the case was concluded with a negotiated settlement on April 6, 2006. BSL praised the NCP for handling the case “in a positive, transparent and conciliatory manner” with fair treatment of the families and within a reasonable timeframe. The best aspect was the willingness of both parties to meet and openly discuss and try to reach an agreement. A detailed case study of this complaint is available in OECD Watch’s “Guide to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises Complaint Procedure - Lessons from Past NGO Complaints”. |
| Relevant OECD Guidelines | |
| Case keywords | Les droits de l'homme, Secteur financier |
NCP Information
| NCP name | National Contact Point Australia |
|---|---|
| NCP address | C/- The Treasury ACT 2600 Canberra, Australia |
| NCP website | http://www.ausncp.gov.au/ |
| Other NCPs involved |
Complainants
| ONG |
|---|
Company Information
| Company responsible | Global Solutions Limited (Australia) Pty Ltd |
|---|---|
| Company address | PO Box 7190 Vic 8004 Melbourne Australia |
| Company website | http://www.au.g4s.com |
| Company in violation | Global Solutions Limited (Australia) Pty Ltd |
| Country of operations | Australia |
| Other companies involved |
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Timeline of developments
Some developments are only visible to logged in users.
| Date | Actor | Action | Description | Document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 October 2006 | National Contact Point Australia | statement | The Australian NCP’s evaluation of the way the GSL complaint was handled. According ot the NCP, during the process, the several parties were cooperating well, although the process took more than the prescribed 90 days. | download pdf (297Kb) |
| 6 April 2006 | Human Rights Council of Australia | press release | GSL Australia agrees to meet the NGO demands. Five NGO's announce their success in encouraging GSL to implement significant changes to ensure they operate under international human rights standards. | download pdf (32Kb) |
| 6 April 2006 | National Contact Point Australia | statement | The NCP concludes the case and congratulates GSL Australia and the complainants for engaging constructively in a manner that will contribute to resolving many of the issues considered in the complaint. | download pdf (101Kb) |
| 6 April 2006 | Brotherhood of St Laurence | joint statement | The case is concluded with a negotiated settlement | |
| 17 June 2005 | The Australian Government announces that it was going to transfer all families – not just families seeking asylum - from detention centres to community detention. This is seen as a welcome first step by the complainants. | |||
| 15 June 2005 | Human Rights Council of Australia | press release | The NGOs raised the complaint at the Annual meeting of NCPs, at the OECD in Paris on June 15, 2005 | download pdf (61Kb) |
| 15 June 2005 | Human Rights Council of Australia | file | Complaint filed at the Australian NCP. | download pdf (121Kb) |
