Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today in support of the Aviation Legislation Amendment (2008 Measures No. 2) Bill 2008. Over the last few days, parliament has had a strong united voice in its resolve to help the victims of the Victorian bushfire tragedy. It is heartening that, whilst we can disagree passionately in this place on some subjects, on issues of national emergency and crisis we can stand together as one. There is always more that unites us than divides us.

September 11 2001 was one of these occasions for the American people—2,974 people died when terrorists evaded security and turned passenger jets into flying bombs, destroying the twin towers in New York City. The shockwaves reverberated around the world. One of the consequences of this tragedy was the marked tightening of security at airports in America and across the globe. Australia also played its part.

In the years following 9-11, the Australian government has invested $1.2 billion in enhanced aviation security. This has included the expansion of screening for passengers and checked-in baggage, the improvement of security in the air cargo industry and Air Security Officer Program, which placed sky marshals on select domestic and international flights. It is important that improvements to physical security are complemented by legislative improvements to processes surrounding aviation security. This is what this bill provides for.

I have an active interest in this bill, given that the fourth largest airport in the country, Perth Airport, is located in the north-eastern part of my electorate. Perth’s airport holds a special significance for the people of Perth. Being the most isolated capital city in the world, air travel represents the only realistic form of transport for those wishing to travel outside WA.

Recent figures from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics suggest that 92 per cent of journeys between Perth and the east are made through Perth Airport. In recent years, passengers’ use of the airport has increased by dramatic and unforeseen quantities. In the last five years, the number of domestic passenger movements at Perth Airport has increased 82 per cent—13.6 per cent in the last financial year. International passenger numbers have also exploded, increasing by 13.1 per cent in the last financial year.

There are several reasons for this. All members will be aware of the mining boom that has been the engine of the state’s, and indeed the nation’s, economic growth over the past decade. Mining companies have utilised Perth as a labour source, establishing fly-in fly-out traffic. Testament to this are the 2,223 people employed in the mining sector at the last census in my suburban electorate of Swan. The number of people using the airport for work related purposes has therefore increased across Perth.

Another result of the mining boom has been to create a more affluent WA, and a more affluent population has enjoyed more time travelling. The unprecedented increase in passenger traffic through the airport has put infrastructure under significant pressure. Despite this, Perth Airport has played its part in upgrading security. It has completed a $6.2 million baggage-screening system in terminal 3 for all check-in baggage on domestic flights in order to meet government regulations. However, we must continue to be vigilant and we must do more, as Australia continues to be a terrorist target.

There are measures which we should be taking to improve security, and this bill goes some way to achieving this. The legislation allows for amendments to the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004, the Civil Aviation Act 1988 and the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003. The legislative amendment to the 2004 act allows the secretary of the department to collect additional security information. Knowledge is power, and it is right and proper that the department has this additional security information so that the officials can make informed decisions quickly in the interests of safety and security. We do, however, have a responsibility to ensure that this does not create unnecessary costs for the industry. This bill has no financial impact on government expenditure; therefore, presumably, the full cost will have to be absorbed by the industry. The government must ensure that this is treated sensibly, especially given the current economic climate.

The legislative amendment to the 2004 act provides for the secretary to delegate any or all of his or her functions to another agency head or equivalent, whose responsibilities include functions relating to national security. In the event of an emergency such delegation may, depending upon the scale of the crisis, be imperative. An effective response may depend upon the secretary appointing another senior figure in a better position to devote more time to a specific response issue. It avoids the specific lack of decision-making capacity.

The legislative amendment to the Civil Aviation Act 1988 provides for the copying and disclosure of aircraft cockpit voice recorder, CVR, information for the purpose of testing its functioning and reliability. This was a result of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s investigation into the Lockhart River air crash of 2005, where a CVR was found to be faulty and no audio recovered from the recorder could be confirmed as having been recorded during the flight. All 15 passengers on board were killed in that tragedy. At present there are strict confidentiality requirements to ensure the continued availability of CVR information for no blame accident and incident investigations under the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003. This bill will allow for the copying and disclosure of the cockpit voice recorder information, which will enable faults to be discovered and dealt with more easily.

Finally, amendments to the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 carry my support. The minor amendments remove the one-year time limit for prosecutions relating to the failure to report on immediately reportable matters—IRMs. That is sensible, given that it can take years for unreported incidents to be discovered. I am confident that these legislative security measures will be effective in Western Australia. My immediate concern for the future is ensuring that the government and Perth Airport complement these initiatives by continuing to improve physical security infrastructure.

I was disappointed to read in the Australian newspaper this morning that the number of armed air marshals protecting Australian aircraft has been cut by almost one-third due to budgetary cutbacks. The article suggests that there will be fewer than 100 specially trained air marshals left. The $55 million a year program commenced in December 2001 as an important component of physical security. I urge the government to retain this program fully. I would ask: has the government received advice from national security agencies that it is safe to make these cuts?

The upcoming $1 billion development project at Perth Airport provides a good opportunity to ensure Perth Airport has world-class security arrangements. The $1 billion redevelopment project involves moving the domestic terminal to the international terminal site and creating Terminal WA for intrastate flights, which have been a significant cause of the increase in passenger usage. Terminal WA, under construction now, is the first phase of the project and is set to be completed by late 2010. It will be a flexible terminal able to respond to the short-term contracts preferred by the mining sector. The project is expected to reduce the number of passengers at the domestic terminal by 1.2 million per year, especially during the 5 am to 7.30 am peak period. This will ease the current pressure on infrastructure at the domestic terminal, which any recent visitor to the terminal will have experienced. A draft major development plan for Terminal WA has been released, and I can assure the House that I will be seeking assurances in my submission that security arrangements at the new terminal will be world-class.

I understand that the project to build Terminal WA will also involve a review of the airport’s tributary roads. Therefore I will also in my submission urge the airport to include in its plan an upgrade to the Great Eastern Highway, as promised by both political parties at the last election. Members will recall that I have spoken about the need for an upgrade of this road in the past. Finally, in addition to security and roads, I will in my submission urge the airport to properly inform and consult with the local community that will be affected by changes in noise pollution resulting from the changes in the airport location. I have played a role on the Perth Airport Noise Management Consultative Committee since being elected as the federal member for Swan.

In conclusion, these legislative security amendments are, combined with physical security infrastructure improvements, an important part of Australia’s response to the threat of terrorism. I will be working with the airport to see that their impressive expansion over the coming years includes such measures, and I would urge the government to also continue to invest in this area.

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