Governance

Save the Children employees get compensation

AAP February 2, 2017

< 1 min read

Nine aid workers sacked and deported from Nauru amid false accusations they orchestrated protests and encouraged self-harm among detained asylum seekers have been offered compensation and a statement of regret.

The immigration department has acknowledged it had no reason to cause doubt to be cast on the reputation of the Save the Children employees fired and kicked off the island in late 2014.

“The department also recognises that the SCA employees have suffered detriment for which – to adopt the words of Professor Doogan (who conducted a review of the incident) – the payment of money cannot be adequate compensation,” the statement read.

“The department regrets the way in which … the allegations relied on by the department to issue the removal direction may have led other NGOs and members of the public to question the integrity of the SCA employees.

“The department also regrets any hurt and embarrassment caused to the SCA employees.”

Those workers affected have been placed “in the position they would have been in had the removal letter not been issued” in part through confidential financial settlements, the department said.

Save The Children Australia chief executive Paul Ronalds said he was pleased the traumatic and drawn out saga was coming to an end.

“These nine people dedicated themselves to educating and protecting some of the world’s most vulnerable children in the toughest of circumstances,” he said.

“The idea that they would ever fabricate cases of abuse or encourage children to hurt themselves is, and always was, absurd.”

Ronalds said no words or money could ever compensate the detriment suffered by those nine workers.

“Although we sincerely hope that this latest development will provide some degree of closure,” he said.