John Forrest (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Would the minister advise the House of Australia’s aviation transport security arrangements and, on behalf of constituents like mine in regional Australia, what continuing initiatives the government has in place to maintain adequate security at Australia’s regional airports?

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mallee for his question. Obviously it is a question of great importance to all Australians. I inform the member for Mallee that already there has been $1.2 billion allocated since September 11 2001 to aviation security. That is quite a significant amount of money that has been budgeted by the government. Under our comprehensive aviation security regime, 250 regional airports and airlines are now security regulated for the first time. The Regional Airport Funding Program, which had $36.5 million to increase security measures, has already spent $30 million on 127 regional airports. The member for Mallee will be pleased to know that, as of this year’s budget, along with airports at Burnie, Devonport, Groote Eylandt and Weipa, Mildura airport is eligible to apply for funding under the Regional Airport Funding Program. There was extra money allocated in the budget this year to implement security measures at Mildura airport.

It needs to be recorded that we have a multilayered approach to aviation security. Measures range from the requirement for the aviation industry to have in place risk based transport security programs through the use of air security officers on selected flights to the requirement to have hardened cockpit doors in many aircraft. So a range of measures have been put in place that are very important. Our aim is obviously to protect Australians utilising aviation services in Australia, but it is just as important to reinforce the confidence of international travellers coming into Australia. We have taken those steps and introduced those measures progressively over recent years.

We note that the Australian Labor Party in their aviation policy in the election in 2004 just suggested they were going to review the act. They have a long way to go to catch up with the government in terms of front-line investment in increasing and improving the security arrangements in Australia’s aviation sector.