Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I refer to the corporate plan of Airservices Australia and in particular to concerns raised in recent times regarding safety at Launceston Airport. The corporate plan for Airservices Australia makes it very clear that it values the need for keeping safety first. The document states on page 3:

Under the Air Services Act 1995, the corporation is responsible for the provision of safe and environmentally responsible air navigation services (ANS) and aviation rescue and fire fighting services (ARFF) to aircraft operators and other airspace users in Australian-administered airspace, which represents approximately 11 per cent of the world’s airspace. In providing services to about three million aircraft movements annually …

I raise that in the context of what has been occurring and what has perhaps not been occurring at Launceston Airport over the last many months. Since early December there have been three significant major or minor incidents in and around Launceston Airport involving passenger aircraft landing at that airport. The most recent was at the end of April or the first week of May, when a passenger aircraft landing in fog at Launceston Airport was on a converging path. Just what is going on? When will the investigation into this incident be concluded and what is the recommendation? These are questions that need answering.

At the time I called for the federal government to ensure a full inquiry into this particular incident and, indeed, the recent incidents since early December last year. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how the airport control tower can lock up for the night just as two passenger jets—loaded with more than 300 passengers—are about to land in partial fog. Then we hear, through the grapevine as it were, that they were on a converging path. This is serious and we need answers. Indeed, we need categorical assurances from the government and from Airservices Australia—in fact, a guarantee—firstly, that the manning levels in the air traffic control tower at Launceston Airport are adequate; and, secondly, we need a guarantee that safety has not been, and will not be, compromised in Launceston.

Launceston Airport is a rapidly growing gateway, with about 1.2 million passengers per year, or 3,000 passengers per day. The airport is undergoing a $20 million redevelopment and upgrade, and yet we are starting to witness a pattern of questionable air safety procedures and practices. We need answers as soon as possible.

I do not know whether the two aircraft in that incident at the end of April were too close, or were far enough apart and everything was okay. But we need clarification, and we need assurances with regard to that investigation. I have been advised that an investigation has been undertaken, and my questions are: when will it report, and when will these assurances be given by this government and by Airservices Australia?

On two separate occasions in February this year I raised concerns, and spoke directly to Airservices Australia about the incident in February, when Launceston’s airport control tower was not manned for 1½ days due to staff sickness. We know this sort of thing happens; that there are illnesses from time to time, and people cannot make it to work. But you need a backup system; you need a system where safety is ensured for the good of the public, the travelling public in particular. It is not good enough, whatever alternative procedures are in place, if the control tower is unmanned. The control tower was similarly left unmanned in December last year, due to staff shortages.

The front page of the Australian just a week or so ago referred to the staff shortages within Airservices Australia and within air traffic control towers right across the country. We can also understand the claim by the union for increased wages. Those claims need to be tested and considered very carefully, but air safety is too important to compromise, and we need the highest standards of air safety in Launceston. There are many people in the Launceston community who have expressed their concerns to me about this issue at Launceston Airport, and I am calling on the government to make it clear exactly where they stand, and to provide a guarantee that air safety is not being compromised and has not been compromised. Would the government please release the report of this investigation that has recently been completed?

Launceston is now used by four passenger airline carriers. There are smaller carriers that go in and out of Launceston, servicing the Bass Strait islands, the west coast and the east coast. I was there just last week, using Launceston Airport at night. Freight services also use the airport, of course. We have increasing air traffic arrangements. I just want to make it clear that I thank the people that are there who are working hard and working under difficult conditions. I thank them for their service, but I think we need guarantees as soon as possible to ensure that public confidence can be maintained with respect to air safety at Launceston Airport.

Question agreed to.