Fed: Govt has multi-layered approach to airport security: Truss

AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2006
Fed: Govt has multi-layered approach to airport security: Truss

SYDNEY, Aug 15 AAP - Security at Australia's regional airports will never be perfect,
but the federal government's "multi-layered" security checks make flying as safe as possible,
Transport Minister Warren Truss says.

Mr Truss today said terrorists were far more likely to strike at the country's larger
airports, where they could inflict "maximum damage".

"While the overall security assessment of Australia is that we're at medium risk of
terrorism, regional airports are rated as low," Mr Truss said.

But he admitted no security regime was perfect, and said the federal government's "multi-layered
approach" to airport security was designed to make flying as safe as possible.

"Firstly, we're spending a lot more money with ASIO and other organisations to identify
threats," Mr Truss said.

"We're putting in place more substantial checking measures at airports."

In addition to this, he said the government had funded the fitting of security doors
to every aircraft in Australia with more than 30 seats.

When questioned about a passenger who had supposedly flown from Melbourne to Sydney
without ever showing identification, Mr Truss told the Seven Network: "Well, that's quite
likely".

"(But) he would have been through a security check at Sydney or Melbourne airport ...

and he would have been subject to the whole range of multi-layered security measures that
are put in place."

Mr Truss also described another incident in which an X-ray scan caught a passenger
who had accidentally carried 10 Stanley knife blades through Karratha airport, in Western
Australia, as "unsatisfactory" and an "offence".

But he added: "Well, people and machines are not perfect."

"But that's why we have other layers of security in place."

AAP af/klw/srp/sd

KEYWORD: TERROR TRUSS

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