Airport security under review.

[flying dog]

(From the tele' (Sydney) 16/12/2009)

 

This is touch typed and the spell checker is not working.

 

Terror laws clipped.

 

Knitting needles, nail clippers and tweezers will be allowed on board flights as Australia relaxes its September 11 terror laws.

 

The chnages could also mean passengers might soon be trusted to eat their airline food with metal cutlery for th first time since 2001.

 

The "commonsense" changes to secirity requirements are among a raft of new aviatino safety rules to be announced today with the release of a Federal Government white paper, or policy dociment, on ....

 

(they stuffed up I think, coz I can't find the continuation on pg2)

 

However:

 

RURAL FLIGHT SECURITY TO BE TIGHTENED

 

The Federal Government will remove an anomaly which allows airlines to fly to major centres including the national capital, Canberra, without lugage being screened.

 

The aviation white paper, to be released today by Federal Transport Minister ANthony Albanese, will broadem the requirement for screening to include all aircraft used by major airlines by 2014.

 

At present only luggage carried on jets has to be screened before being loaded, adding to the costs of Virgin Blue which flies only jets.

 

WantasLink, which link the capitals to major regional cities, uses Dash 8 turbo-prop aircraft, for which bags do not have to be screened.

 

From July next year, passenger and luggage screening will be compulsory on all scheduled airline flights using an aircraft weighing more than 30 tonnes.

 

(Oh boy are we in trouble! <wink wink>)

 

This wil be extended in July 2014 to all aircraft weighing moer than 20 tonnes.

 

Also posted in aviation news section.

 

 

[bilby54]

Hmmm, 9 years to get around to a fireside chat on the subject!

 

Now if they could just throw out the Asic cards as well then we might be getting somewhere

 

 

[RKW]

They can't do that Bilby. It creates the illusion that they are making Australia a safer place and besides, it's a good money spinner!

 

 

[Yenn]

Once again a demonstration of how our governments and beaurocrats work.

 

The situation is under review and has been for years. All the experts agree that something has to be done but none of them know what, or even why. This does at least remove some stupid requirements, but why they have to keep reviewing I can't think, unless it is just to keep the fat cats rolling in money.

 

 

[dazza 38]

As i have previously have written, i would like for them to get their act together and abolish the stupid ASIC card, i know as dicussed above, it wont happen, but i feel better saying it again. Cheers

 

 

[bilby54]

They can't do that Bilby. It creates the illusion that they are making Australia a safer place and besides, it's a good money spinner!

You are right about the illusion RK.

 

I was on a flight from Alice Springs a little while ago when a little old lady (yeh, I know!) sat beside me in a confused and distressed state saying "they took my knitting needles, why did they do that?" She cried a bit during the trip while the pollys in Canberra got XXXXed at our expense.

 

I was disgusted at the way the average Australian citizen was treated when flying domestic RPT and all the politicians that knee jerked their way into this illusion are not worth two bob.

 

CASA on the other hand has had its hands tied behind their backs when issuing licences and the people in CLARC should be commended for the work that they do.

 

 

[winsor68]

I think we need to distinguish between commercial RPT ops and other ops... I have no doubt that the ASIC system and the security system...including not allowing knitting needles into the cabin of RPT aircraft... is affective. People are now used to it. In the last 5 years the industry has gone from practically nothing to (almost) everything being screened on RPT passenger flights in Australia, baggage and people... there are still holes to be patched and still a lot of BS to cut through but the desired result has been achieved.

 

When it comes to ASIC's and recreational or light GA flying...well that is another problem...the system used by RPT operations should never have been imposed on the light side of the industry.

 

 

[Mazda]

I am just amazed at the focus from people on the security aspect of the White Paper. You have all read it haven't you? What are your thoughts?

 

 

[Guest Qwerty]

Its 159 pages and I'm feeling a bit off colour right now so I might read it later. Is there anything in it of substance or even of interest or is it just the usual motherhood statements full of spin and jargon?

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

The bit i like is that after almost 30 years of tossing Badgery's Creek around as Sydney's site for the second airport by one govenment after another, we are now right back at the very beginning again with the site officially abandoned and a new committee formed to find a new site. they are due to offer a report late 2011. The way this works means we may see Sydney's second airport somewhere around 2030, maybe. The way developers are going in 2030 Bathurst may be just an outer western suburb of Sydney and would be a perfect place to put it.

 

 

[Mazda]

I thought it was a bit longer than that.

 

Yes, there's a lot in there of interest. There's a bit about the increase in activity in the RA-Aus sector, self-administration, a sport aviation section of CASA, not allowing residential developments or nursing homes off the end of runways (so airports remain viable), 24 hour restricted areas being reduced from 81 to 15, improving the training sector, international harmonisation of airspace and procedures, capping of Airservices charges. They are a few things that spring to mind. It's worth a read.

 

Meanwhile the media seem more interested in being able to carry tweezers, and changes to duty free.

 

 

[bilby54]

The bit i like is that after almost 30 years of tossing Badgery's Creek around as Sydney's site for the second airport by one govenment after another, we are now right back at the very beginning again with the site officially abandoned and a new committee formed .

How do I get a place on that committee? Imagine the places you visit.... Paris, London, Tahiti!! All in the name of banning knitting needles.

 

Sorry, I digress:black_eye: