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

This government have arranged for security wands to be available at all of the regional airports carrying regular passenger transport services and we have trained several hundred people to be able to use them in the event of their being required. So when, in fact, there is an upgrade in the security threat from the current low level at a regional airport, at a moment’s notice these people can be brought to an airport and used to undertake the appropriate security arrangements. So, effectively, we respond to the security threat as it is at the time.

Again, however, the honourable member for Brisbane has dishonestly misrepresented Sir John Wheeler’s recommendations. Sir John Wheeler did not recommend that wands be used at every country airport. He did not recommend that baggage be screened or, indeed, that passengers be screened. In fact, he only made one recommendation about regional airports at all. That is recommendation 15, in which he suggested that the Department of Transport and Regional Services should offer appropriate and increased security oriented training and guidance and be in communications with airports to survey and help discern their security needs. We have done that. Each of these airports has developed a security plan. We have provided funding to help them with basic security measures—

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