New Federal Government rules that are set to be put into place by Christmas, will see passengers departing some regional Queensland airports skip security screenings completely.
The move, which has already seen Barcaldine Airport and Longreach Airport ditch security screenings, is set to include around six other regional airports by mid-December.
The reason for this is simply that threat is extremely low and screening costs are cripplingly high for small regional airports.
Longreach Mayor Tony Rayner told the ABC that the decision was not made lightly and “security measures still in place, despite no screening”.
The new ‘tier’ framework
The Department of Home Affairs, which is responsible for administering aviation security legislation, has created a new ‘tier’ based framework based on the risk profiles of Australian airports.
It is expected that, aside from the eight regional airports that will cease security screenings, 13 airports around the country will have to increase their security arrangements.
A spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs told the ABC the new framework “better reflects the operational diversity and range of security risks faced by Australian airports, while recognising the changing security environment”.
The response
Some people are welcoming the news of some regional airports saying goodbye to the security screening, saying it will free up space at airports and saving huge amounts of money on the month to month operations, and taking to Facebook to share comments such as “Thanks to the gods for that… the biggest waste of money ever”
However, others are unsure or disagree with the decision, stating on ABC Western Queensland’s FB post “that is so wrong”, “safety should come first” and “we should see regional airfares come down in price…. I won’t be holding my breath.”
What do you think of the changes? Let us know.
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