[Peetwo]

Senator Rex and Senator McDonald kick a goal for regional aviation -    

Totally agree "K", every time the mystique of airport security issue comes up the BRB and AP have well and truly uncovered the non-fiction from the fiction on yet another publicly funded bottomless trough - eg: 

Update: Airport security disconnections. & Chester under siege on Airport security & safety - Part III
   

"..Whistleblower Allan Kessing says passenger screening is a “useless facade”, and intelligence gathering needs resources..."

I'd love to see the security risk matrix applied by Spud Dutton and Co to justify spending 100s of millions of taxpayer dollars on creating a smoke'n'mirrors charade that public safety/security is enhanced by putting in place security screening at all regional airports that have RPT services with aircraft above a certain capacity -   


Ref: https://auntypru.com/first-principals/

Compare that to the farcical situation where the DFO shopping complex still exists as a public safety risk alongside two active runways at Essendon Fields airport and you can understand PAIN_Net members cynicism on this issue - 

However putting aside the absurdity of the airport security issue, which has the potential to be the final nail in the coffin of many regional airports, I do believe that the good Senator's Rex and McDonald have made the best of a bad situation - 

Via the Senators FB pages:

Senator Susan McDonald
13 May at 19:56 ·

*A WIN FOR REGIONAL AIRPORTS*

I'm very proud to announce that the Nationals in the Senate today negotiated changes to ensure regional travellers don't face disproportionate cost increases associated with beefed-up security measures coming into place next year.

National security requires a national cost solution, and it was unfair for regional communities to be expected to bear big jumps in airfares.

We agreed that passenger security must be paramount, but we stood firm for regional Australians who already pay more to fly. Now added costs associated with added security will be less for regional flyers.

Townsville Airport Cairns Airport Rockhampton Airport Mackay Airport Mount Isa Airport

Senator Rex Patrick
13 May at 20:52 ·

WE DID IT! BIG WIN FOR REGIONAL AIR TRAVELLERS

After two years of pressure, culminating in a disallowance motion tonight in the Senate, the Government has committed to implementing a new approach to airport security charges which will see Australians pay “a non-differential charge” for airport security screening, no matter what destination they depart from.

It has been a long and intense campaign and I particularly thank those of you who signed the petition, which was tabled in the Senate today before the change was announced.

One Senator described my actions as ‘taking a sledgehammer to a walnut’, but if that’s what it takes then that’s what I’ll do.

In May 2018 the Government announced that it was increasing security screening requirements at regional airports and that $50M had been set aside to pay for any new equipment required. However, there was no funding to cover the ongoing operating costs of the equipment, which for many airports was more than $1M per annum. Local councils, who own most regional airports, would have to recover this cost from airlines who would have to recover it from passengers.

People flying from Whyalla to Adelaide would have had to pay an additional $52 for each flight to cover the costs. People flying from Port Lincoln to Adelaide would have had to pay an additional $10 to $20 per flight.

Both QANTAS and REX had indicated that the new charges would call into question the viability of a number of regional air routes around the country, including a number in SA.

In the face of a regulation disallowance voted on in the Senate tonight the Government capitulated and will develop a new approach that will see the same charges for all Australians.

This is a big win. I thank you all for your support.

MTF...P2