[Peetwo]

Off track PNR - OTS at Estimates 23/05/17. -

Remember this? Senate Inquiry: Airport & Aviation Security MKII
 

Video two probably should have the heading 'money talks' when (about 02:30) AK reveals that the reason his 2nd report was also rejected, by the customs airport manager at Sydney airport...

[b]"..We were told, quite simply, that the commercial costs involved in complying with the Customs Act would be onerous..(sic), too onerous for the now privatised airport corporation (i.e. SAC)..."[/b]  

"That was all she wrote"...  -The final video signals the end of the public part of the hearing and this was due in large part because Barry-O (with the braces on  ) began to 'mechanically' ask for name, rank and serial numbers...

You know there is trouble afoot when Barry-O goes (01:42)...

"..let me place on the record my interest..(sic)..I am so disturbed by the evidence of this witness.."  

Okay now reflect on the following video segments from the OTS evening appearance at Estimates on 23/05/17:

&..

To make matters even worse this, hole in the mouldy security Swiss cheese, was reported on in the Oz today:

Manchester attack: security flaw ‘risks new jet tragedy’

Debris from crashed Russian Metrojet in the Sinai in October 2015.

The Australian

12:00AM May 25, 2017

JOE KELLY

Political reporter
Canberra
@joekellyoz
[img=0x0]https://i1.wp.com/pixel.tcog.cp1.news.com.au/track/component/author/c1e593b57554afc1c3bc4d1f516c297b/?esi=true&t_product=the-australian&t_template=s3/austemp-article_common/vertical/author/widget&td_bio=false[/img]
Coalition senators have sounded the alarm on a security flaw that could expose passengers to a ­repeat of the incident that downed a Russian Metrojet flight over Egypt in 2015 killing 224 people.

The vulnerability in Australia’s border security regime was exposed by the Office of Transport Security that confirmed there was nothing to stop people with drug or organised crime convictions from working at airports or ports.
“At this stage our legislation precludes us from taking into ­account those issues,” OTS ­executive director Sachi Wimmer told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday night.

Ms Wimmer confirmed that only some criminal convictions would prevent individuals from being granted an aviation or maritime security identity card. The card allows unescorted access to sensitive areas of transport hubs.

Some of the adverse offences include murder, kidnap, hostage taking, aggravated assault, treason, terrorism, espionage as well as hijacking and destruction of an aircraft. But Ms Wimmer confirmed there was no legislative barrier to stop security cards from being granted to those with drug or organised crime convictions.

“The eligibility criteria around criminality is limited and so it very much depends on the offence,” she said. “If we had an offence that had been through a court and there was a conviction and it included organised involvement in some kind of criminal activity we think that would be a sensible thing to capture.”

About 30 holders of the ID cards would no longer be eligible to work in sensitive areas if the Senate passed amendments to close the loophole.
Ms Wimmer said a decision to cancel the card of a convicted drug smuggler had been overturned by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in 2014. “The criminal history included convictions with significant terms of imprisonment for offences involving ... the production, possession and supply of a narcotic substance and also related to the importation of a significant quantity of cocaine using airfreight,” she said.

Liberal senator David Fawcett told The Australian the evidence highlighted a vulnerability in Australia’s national security framework. He said the “strong assumption” behind the Metrojet disaster was someone with privileged access at Sharm el-Sheikh airport had “bypassed the security and put a device on the plane”. “Clearly that is a risk,” he said.

Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee chairman Barry O’Sullivan said it was harder to get work at a day care centre than as a baggage handler at one of the nation’s key airports. “The standards there are 10 times higher than for an individual who wants to wander into the most secure areas of our airports and ports generally,” the Queensland Nationals senator told The Australian. “The risk is superhigh. This parliament needs to step up and for once do what is as bloody plain as the nose on our face and belt this out of the park.”

The government’s legislation to close the security loophole is yet to pass the Senate but it has struggled to reach agreement with Labor on the wording of its amendments to reduce criminal influence at the borders.


The OTS told Senate estimates that, if the government’s tougher rules were adopted, there would be greater scrutiny of applicants.

Oh no miniscule 6D_NFI_Chester, yet another potentially embarrassing clusterduck which falls within your area of remit ...    

TICK TOCK miniscule!


MTF...P2