The Morrison government re-launched the Christmas Island Center in February on the grounds that there was a surge of asylum seekers related to changes in the Refugee Medical Transfer Act. The records listed on the federal government’s Austender procurement website show that CI Resources won the contract after the public tender.
The contract for “portal and facility management services” is for a three-year period worth $20,646,935. The contract was signed by the Ministry of the Interior. CI Resources has been mining phosphate on Christmas Island for nearly 30 years, and the company describes itself as the main source of economic activity on the island. Since 2017, the company has received more than $200,000 in other Christmas Island maintenance contracts.
Lai Ah Hong, managing director of CI Resources, said the maintenance contract will help the company hire locals. It is not clear how many job opportunities the contract will create. In 2018, the federal government rejected CI Resources’ application for exploration drilling on Christmas Island. The Ministry of the Interior has been contacted for comment.
