Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit I present the committee’s report entitled Report 409: Developments in aviation security since the committee’s June 2004 report 400: Review of aviation security in Australia.

Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.

This report presents the results of the committee’s re-opened inquiry into aviation security in Australia. The committee re-opened its inquiry as a result of some significant developments in aviation security since its Report 400: Review of aviation security in Australia, tabled in June 2004. On determining to revisit aviation security, the committee was cognisant of major initiatives by the Australian government to extend and deepen the security standards required of aviation industry participants, particularly the introduction of the new Aviation Security Transport Regulations in March 2005.

The inquiry received 81 submissions and undertook a program of inspections and evidence gathering at major and regional centres across Australia. The committee has examined the principles underlying aviation security in Australia and their implementation by Commonwealth agencies with responsibility for intelligence gathering, regulation and law enforcement; the front-line preventative security measures of background checking of aviation industry personnel and physical security of sensitive areas of airports; developments in law enforcement arrangements at major and regional airports; and the cost imposts of and funding arrangements to support enhanced security arrangements. The committee has unanimously supported the initiatives of the Australian government in aviation security and, through its recommendations, suggested further measures that will ensure Australia continues to have one of the leading aviation security regimes in the world.

The committee has made 19 recommendations that identify measures to further improve aviation security in Australia. These include reporting to the committee the number of unannounced security audits of major airports in 2006 and ensuring regular unannounced audits of Australia’s busiest airport, Sydney airport, in the future; increasing the on-ground experience of selected Office of Transport Security personnel, particularly in relation to regional aviation industry participants; establishing standards for aviation industry participants against which to measure proposed security measures; improved processes for issuing an aviation security identification card and tighter conditions and format for issuing a visitor identification card; revised reporting arrangements for the prohibited list for items allowed into the cabins of security classified flights; support and flexibility in the delivery of security training; expanding the functions of regional rapid deployment teams at regional airports; the development of an industry code for the monitoring of closed-circuit television at security classified airports; improving communication services to security classified regional airports; and negotiating funding arrangements to upgrade security at security classified regional airports.

Following the introduction of the new regulations in 2005, full screening of checked baggage will be required of all flights departing counterterrorism first response airports from 1 August 2007. Whilst some argue that full screening should occur at every regional airport, the committee states that it is simply not feasible to demand screening of all checked baggage at every regional airport. As Sir John Wheeler stated in his independent report:

…it is clear that ‘one size does not fit all’ in imposing security, regulations and standards across disparate airports… Security measures at regional airports should be balanced and proportionate and must be based on enhanced threat and risk assessments. It is always difficult to draw firm lines, and these could vary as a result of changed circumstances.

While the committee believes that it is inevitable that additional airports will, in time, warrant screening of all checked baggage, it did not want to claim to have the expertise to identify which individual airports should be included in this category or when they should be included. In the light of the committee’s view, it has recommended that the Department of Transport and Regional Services report to the parliament within three months as to whether any additional airports should be required to screen all checked baggage from August 2007, beyond those already designated by the Aviation Transport Security Regulations, and further update its advice to the parliament twice yearly.

The committee has also recommended that the Department of Transport and Regional Services report on the timetable for implementing screening of all air cargo on passenger aircraft where passengers’ checked baggage is screened. The department’s report should include consideration of the feasibility of implementing the screening of all air cargo on passenger aircraft where passengers’ checked baggage is screened by 1 August 2007, that being the date when 100 per cent checked-baggage screening from counterterrorism first response airports is required.

The expansion and intensification of aviation security measures in Australia have attempted and largely achieved a balance between, on the one hand, the implementation of adequate preventative security measures and readiness to respond to a breach if this occurs and, on the other, consideration of convenience and cost to the travelling public and Australian taxpayer. I commend the report to the House. (Time expired)

Sharon Grierson (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join the member for Casey in endorsing the committee’s Report 409: Developments in aviation security since the committee’s June 2004 report 400: Review of aviation security in Australia. This report was long in coming but is thorough in its work, and it certainly gets right the balance between public safety and making sure that processes are correct in order to support safety and security so that the public are able to have affordable and convenient air travel.

I must acknowledge the work of the committee. Getting a consensus report that is thorough and rigorous was a lot of hard work, and a conscientious effort was made by all committee members. I also thank the secretariat. We took them all over the country. They were very patient, no matter the temperature or the place, and they certainly provided us with outstanding support over a long period of time. The contributions of those who made submissions were often very impressive, and they gave us some faith in the work of good Australians who have the interests of the public at heart.

This inquiry was opened because we were concerned about security incidents in aviation and public alarm when incidents do occur. We know that the media will report things in a way that does alarm. There have been 83 public incidents since 2004, when we completed our last report, and some of those incidents did alarm people. As recently as July this year we had two cars speeding on the tarmac of Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport and also a man who arrived at Sydney airport from Canada and found things in his baggage that he had never seen before. I think the committee understood that it had a responsibility to respond to aviation security, because when it goes wrong it can be so distressing and harmful, something we want to avoid.

The committee made a good decision in supporting the government’s risk based approach. There is diversity in our aviation security. We cannot do it all everywhere—there has to be flexibility and there has to be a balance; you cannot impose maximum security that will stop aviation travel at a time when it is booming. At my own airport at Newcastle we have seen an almost 400 per cent growth in passengers in the last two years. Basically the report says: ‘Let’s get it right. Let’s improve the consultation processes. Let’s keep making sure that the government invests in the right resources. Let’s make sure that DOTARS remains responsive and proactive, and let’s give a reporting regime to parliament, committees and ministers that really does say that it is accountable, that DOTARS is accountable and Attorney-General’s Department is accountable. Let’s get that right.’

The only recommendation that I do not see in the committee’s report, which some of our evidence did point to, is the need for one department to oversight all these security functions. Some of our recommendations require things of Attorney-General’s, others require things of DOTARS and some require things of the security agencies and departments. One would hope that communications between them would always be at the optimum, but the need for a homeland security department is something that both sides of this parliament should consider very thoroughly.

The committee did make some fairly high demands, which I hope will be taken up. Random screening at major airports is essential to give the public, airport owners, airlines and government confidence that everything has been put in place. I particularly support the recommendation about Sydney airport, which is in my state. Sydney airport is the busiest airport in Australia and it must be very difficult for everyone to get it right. Our report recommends that there be random audits at Sydney airport. We know that baggage handling and baggage screening are difficult processes. We know too that they have to be done in such a way that no-one will have any doubt that their luggage will not be tampered with and that there will not be any links with criminality that undermine security.

So there are excellent recommendations in the report. We also made some good recommendations for the people who work in the industry. Having specific and uniform training standards will give more confidence and will give more certainty to the careers of people working in the field. I commend the work of the trade unions in this area. The committee recommends an industry code for monitoring CCTVs, closed-circuit television. It should be done correctly, and having gone to so many airports I do feel that people who sit in front of those screens for long periods do need some standards in order to know that their job can be done very thoroughly.

I think we also pleased regional Australia. There is a good way ahead for regional Australia. Their needs have to be considered, particularly at an airport like Newcastle, which has jet flights packed with people and which is only a very short distance from Sydney, yet baggage is not screened. So we have asked DOTARS to check that out and prepare a feasibility study on whether that should be accepted or not. It is an excellent report and I thank everyone involved. I commend the report to the parliament. (Time expired)