Debate resumed from 31 October, on motion by Mr Vaile:

That this bill be now read a second time.

upon which Mr Bevis moved by way of amendment:

That all words after ‘That’ be omitted with a view to substituting the following words: ‘whilst not declining to give the Bill a second reading, the House:

(1)

notes the failure of the Howard government to appoint a person as Inspector of Transport Security until one year after the announcement of the position;

(2)

notes that the Howard government finally committed to underpin this important job with appropriate laws in May of 2005 but has only now introduced legislation into the House for that purpose;

(3)

condemns the slowness with which the Howard government dealt with the important role of Inspector of Transport Security;

(4)

condemns the Howard government’s dismissive use of the Inspector of Transport Security who has been engaged on an average of just one day a week in spite of repeated failures in security in the Australian transport sector at the same time as terrorists have targeted aviation and rail transport over years; and

(5)

condemns the Howard government for its failure to engage the Inspector of the Transport Security in a full-time capacity’.

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