Arch Bevis (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question without notice is to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Minister, why does the government have just four teams of police to protect more than 140 regional airports?

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian government has a lot more than four teams of police to protect Australian regional airports. We have security plans at each of the airports. We have appropriate arrangements put in place to help with basic security at minor airports. The larger regional airports have full screening similar to what you would expect at capital city airports. Each airport has a level of security appropriate to the assessed needs in that particular area to ensure the safe passage of Australian passengers. There are full-time police deployments at the busier airports and those that have been classified as a first response to counter-terrorism. Those that are not covered by that full-time policing have the additional advantage, on top of the local policing that might be provided, of four deployment teams that move around the countryside from place to place to assist with training and preparations for any incident which might happen to occur.