Tue, Jul 06, 2004
Australian Opposition Says Government Has Failed To
Deliver
Homeland security is just as much a
hot-button topic for politicians in Australia as it is here in the
US. The Courier-Mail newspaper in Brisbane reports Australia's
Labor party accuses the government of failing to deliver promised
security upgrades on time, putting regional airline passengers at
risk.
Last December, Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson announced a
$66.18 million dollar (US currency) program to upgrade aviation
security and promised it would be in place by July 1st. But Labor's
homeland security spokesman Robert McClelland says the government
has quietly delayed the plan -- without explanation. Some $21.3
million was to have been spent upgrading security at regional
airports throughout Australia. The plan also would have paid for
reinforced cockpit doors on commuter prop-driven aircraft with more
than 30 seats.
"The Government made a commitment to
have these programs in place by July 1 this year. Once again they
have missed this deadline and broken this promise," Mr McClelland
said. "Airbrushing references to the deadline off the
[government's] website may solve the embarrassing political problem
of the Howard Government missing yet another national security
program deadline, but it does not deliver heightened security to
Australians passing through our airports."
Anderson said the program is still very much alive and denied
that it had been stalled. "We never set a deadline on the regional
airports. We are at the planning stage but that is different to
implementation," he said.
More News
Airport Rotating Beacon A visual NAVAID operated at many airports. At civil airports, alternating white and green flashes indicate the location of the airport. At military airports>[...]
Aero Linx: Fly for the Culture Fly For the Culture, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves young people interested in pursuing professions in the aviation industry>[...]
Klyde Is Having Some Issues Comprehending The Fed's Priorities FMI: www.klydemorris.com>[...]
Also: Viasat-uAvionix, UL94 Fuel Investigation, AF Materiel Command, NTSB Safety Alert Norges Luftsportforbund chose Aura Aero's little 2-seater in electric trim for their next gli>[...]
Also: EP Systems' Battery, Boeing SAF, Repeat TBM 960 Order, Japan Coast Guard H225 Buy Despite nearly 100 complaints totaling millions of dollars of potential fraud, combined with>[...]