Clarification concerning former Salvation Army staff in Manus Island and Nauru

The Salvation Army is satisfied that support workers who were engaged in Manus Island and Nauru were, at all times, adequate to perform their unskilled, general support work as required.

By their very description, support worker roles typically do not require individuals to have particular skills, experience or formal qualifications.

The role of support worker was a very flexible role, which at times consisted of largely unskilled activities, such as sport and recreation activities, facilitating computer and telephone access, and operating the kiosks. At no times were support worker staff employed as counsellors or expected to provide psychological care to asylum seekers as alleged.

Salvation Army staff always had access to, and were fully supported by, a comprehensive Employee Assistance Program provided on-island by an external clinical psychology firm, in addition to Salvation Army supports and debriefing.

In the early days of The Salvation Army’s work on Nauru and Manus Island, prior to the formalisation of the contract, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection required an incredibly rapid start-up, which meant that a formal induction was not developed prior to The Salvation Army getting its first people on the ground. However, at all times (including from the first deployment) staff were briefed by The Salvation Army either prior to departure or immediately upon arrival at the Offshore Processing Centre.