"Australian airport arrests deepen security concerns"

Friday, October 21, 2005

Airport arrests deepen security concerns PRINT FRIENDLY EMAIL STORY 
Reporter Louise Yaxley
The Australian Broadcasting Company


TONY EASTLEY: There are new concerns over security at Australian airports
after two men were charged this week with breaching federal aviation laws.

They've been charged after being found in the baggage handling areas of
Sydney international airport on Tuesday.

Just last month British security expert Sir John Wheeler handed down a
damning report into Australian airport security. 

In a completely separate case in May, a court was told that some baggage
handlers at the international airport were helping smuggle cocaine into
Australia.

Louise Yaxley reports.

LOUISE YAXLEY: Qantas says the two men were found with restricted security
passes in a baggage area of the international terminal on Tuesday. They were
immediately reported to the Federal Police, they've been charged with
breaches of federal aviation security laws, and are due to appear in court
next month.

The Transport Minister, Warren Truss, wasn't able to give details, but his
spokeswoman says it was good to see that workers in a controlled area of the
airport were conscious of security and aware of the need for people to wear
the proper security ID cards.

Labor's Homeland Security spokesman, Arch Bevis, says the case shows just
how crucial it is that airport security doesn't fail.

ARCH BEVIS: Any failure in that chain of activity is fatal to the entire
security system.

LOUISE YAXLEY: The men previously worked for a company which does contract
work for Qantas, including baggage handling. They now work for Patricks,
where they're employed at the terminal as ground staff. But they were
detected in the baggage handling area.

Labor's Arch Bevis says it's so sensitive, there can be no room for any
security slip-ups.

ARCH BEVIS: All of the international baggage that goes into the planes was
supposed to be X-rayed before the start of this year. And yet at our major
airport, our largest airport in the country, we still don't X-ray 100 per
cent of that baggage.

We have problems in regional airports highlighted by Sir John Wheeler. He in
fact called for a review of the security situation at our major regional
airports, there's been no move yet by the Government to implement that
decision, and a raft of others that he raised concerns about.

So the Government needs to actually get its focus on practical measures that
safeguard the Australian public, rather than focusing - as it has done - on
political spin in this debate.

LOUISE YAXLEY: There's been a Federal Government crackdown on aviation
security identification cards and new checks on the cardholders, because
they have access to crucial areas of airports. Mr Bevis says that might not
have gone far enough.

ARCH BEVIS: If there are examples where people have been issued with cards
wrongly, or where cards have been forged - and that really is a very, very
serious matter - and the Government is going to have to - with industry -
get on top of that issue really quickly, otherwise our entire aviation
security system will become worthless.

TONY EASTLEY: Labor's Homeland Security spokesman, Arch Bevis.


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