Serco guards compared to bouncers

The immigration department has defended staffing its detention centres with people who have the same level of qualifications as nightclub bouncers.

A Senate committee has heard while Serco guards require certificate two in security from TAFE - the same minimum standard required for nightclub bouncers - they undergo five weeks intensive technical and first aid training.

"It's very unfair and factually inaccurate to compare the standard of Serco employees with a bouncer," deputy secretary Michael Outram told Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young during an estimates hearing on Tuesday.