One Year On…

About this time last year, COVID-19 hit Australia and we entered an environment that had not been experienced before.

As Governments around the globe took actions to combat the spread of COVID-19, here in Australia, lockdowns, border closures, and industry shutdowns turned our world upside down.

Much has happened in the intervening 12 months however throughout this demanding time, our nearly 7000 loyal and committed employees have continued to support our valuable clients, and we are pleased and proud to have managed together, through what we all hope is the worst of the pandemic.

Apart from the significant impact on our individual lives, many of our clients were operating on a business-as-usual basis while other clients, and even whole market segments, were severely disrupted, or ceased to operate in their entirety, with our aviation, higher education, major event and venue clients being hardest hit.

For nearly seven months, MSS Security seamlessly moved its entire administration and office workforce in every state and territory, to work from home; a great achievement and testament to the quality and commitment of our staff, our flexibility and capability.

Despite these downturns and challenges, MSS Security was able to maximise the ongoing and meaningful employment of almost all of our frontline staff through redeployment to other contracts including Quarantine Programs in Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia.

In relation to the much-publicised Victorian Quarantine Hotel Program, and subsequent Inquiry, I would like to reiterate that the Inquiry has determined what we always knew; that our frontline staff were well-trained and well-managed, followed protocols, and executed their duties professionally and to the best of their abilities in changing and very challenging circumstances. MSS Security continues to support Western Australia and South Australia in their respective quarantine hotel programs with great professionalism and success.

Pleasingly, we are starting to see our clients return to more normal operations as critical sectors rebound:

• Victoria’s world-class major event and venue business is regaining momentum.
• Higher educational institutions’ resilience and flexibility have served them well as they pivot to online learning and maintain healthy enrolments of domestic students.
• Aviation is strengthening as interstate business and leisure travel continues to grow.

As Australia’s largest provider of security, emergency response and paramedic services, we have been challenged; and we have responded exceptionally well to the many and varied demands posed by the pandemic while our clients have continued to deliver for their stakeholders and customers, playing our part in making Australia one of the best places to be over the past year.

On behalf of the management of MSS Security, I would like to sincerely thank our staff for their dedication and professionalism through a difficult year, and our clients for their support and understanding during a time of great uncertainty and constant change.

We look forward to continuing to work with you all, as Australia and the world rebounds from the impacts of COVID-19.

Yours Sincerely

Geoff Alcock
Managing Director