Hotel quarantine security company sues Victorian government

Unified Security Group, the company that was used during Melbourne’s hotel quarantine outbreak during the second wave, is suing the Victorian government, claiming they were not paid the $9,739,804, (plus GST) they were owed for work carried out at the 12 quarantine hotels during the pandemic.

The company claims they were not paid adequately for “ancillary” services performed for hotel guests.

The company has claimed in a Supreme Court writ, “Unified Security provided the requested ancillary services, including purchasing toys, purchasing gifts for Mother’s Day, organising and delivering Easter eggs and receiving food deliveries from external restaurants.”

Unified Security has also claimed the state government had a handshake agreement of sort to fulfil all aspects of the services without a formal contract in place. 

“The parties adopted a common assumption that Unified Security would engage subcontractors to carry out part of the security services without the need for prior written approval of the State of Victoria ... it would be unconscionable for the State of Victoria to be permitted to depart from that assumption,” the writ claims.

Court documents revealed the claim that Unified Security sent numerous invoices to the government which are yet to be paid and that the government also failed to pay the subsidiary companies contracted by Unified Security, when they needed more guards.

The Victorian government is yet to file its defence, nor has a hearing been listed.

3rd May 2021