Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to speak about a very important issue that was brought to my attention, and I rise to show my support for Taiwan becoming a meaningful participant in the International Civil Aviation Organisation by gaining observer status at that particular aviation body's meetings, mechanisms, committees and activities. This would allow Taiwan to better contribute to the safeguarding of regional and global aviation safety.

The reason I am raising this issue is I believe aviation safety is incredibly important. Having an electorate in Hindmarsh, which has an airport smack bang in the middle of it, I know how important are issues surrounding the safety of airports and ensuring that not only passengers on the planes are safe but also people on the ground under flight paths. We should not allow any barriers to stand in the way of ensuring that all international travellers, including the many, many thousands of Australians who travel to Taiwan and Asia, are kept safe. This is very important.

The Convention on International Civil Aviation, which was signed in Chicago, Illinois, on 7 December 1944, established the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a specialised United Nations agency that covers all issues relating to aviation and aviation safety, ensuring that not only passengers are safe but also anyone who is involved in aviation, including, as I said, people on the ground. The aims of the International Civil Aviation Organisation are to develop the principles and the techniques of international air navigation and to foster the planning and development of international air transport so as to meet the needs of the peoples of the world for safe, regular, efficient and economical air transport. The International Civil Aviation Organisation has expanded to govern the procedures and the processes relating to flight inspection, air navigation, civil aviation infrastructure, prevention of unlawful interference, unified border crossing protocols and most recently, as we have seen with climate change, environmental standards. All of these are extremely important to the safety of aviation and to the environment.

Every travelling person in the world has an absolute vested interest in ensuring that aviation transport is safe and secure. Of course, safe skies are ensured through the uniform aviation standards, the harmonisation of security protocols and the fast dissemination of information regarding new regulations and all other relevant matters that affect aviation safety and aviation around the world. The Taipei flight information region under the jurisdiction of Taiwan covers air space of 180,000 square miles. In 2012 alone it serviced nearly 1.3 million flights carrying 40 million travellers. Despite this, Taiwan has had to resort to indirect methods to obtain that very crucial information on safety and procedural information and has had to make additional efforts to achieve the same level of standards and quality in aviation safety in Taipei as you would find anywhere else in the world.

The European Parliament, the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the United States Congress have passed resolutions supporting Taiwan's bid to become an observer at the International Civil Aviation Organisation. These motions in the US Senate and the US Congress specifically mentioned that in a post 9/11 world we cannot have a situation where a gap in procedures undermines confidence in commercial aviation. Meaningful participation by Taiwan as an observer in the meetings and activities of the ICAO will be of benefit to success. (Time expired)