EP 166 - Are We Buying Security or Just the Cheapest Guards?

Is Australia's obsession with low-cost security contracts putting people, critical infrastructure and national security at risk?

A major new report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) raises serious questions about how Australia purchases, regulates, and delivers protective security services.

The report, Australian Protective Security Procurement Practices, suggests that an excessive focus on price, inconsistent licensing requirements, inadequate contract oversight and workforce pressures may be undermining the very protection these services are supposed to provide.

In this episode of Security Insider, we speak with one of the authors of the report, Dr John Coyne — Director, ASPI National Security Program

Together, we explore some of the most pressing challenges facing Australia's security industry, including:

• Why the cheapest security contract isn't necessarily the best value.
• Whether government procurement practices are encouraging a race to the bottom.
• The growing gap between licensed security personnel and genuinely deployable security capability.
• The implications of security workforce shortages for AUKUS, Defence facilities and critical infrastructure.
• Whether Australia will have the security workforce needed for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
• Why longstanding problems with licensing, training and industry regulation remain unresolved.
• What governments, procurement managers and security providers can do to deliver better security outcomes.

With private security officers increasingly operating on the frontline of Australia's protective security arrangements, the stakes extend well beyond commercial contracts.

Are we investing in genuine protection, or simply paying for a security presence?

And will Australia address these problems before a major security incident forces change?

Join us for an important discussion about the future of Australia's protective security industry and what it will take to build a more capable, accountable and resilient security workforce.

Report: Australian Protective Security Procurement Practices, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, is available for download at either www.aspi.org.au or www.asial.com.au