PM: We have some significant announcements to make in relation to aviation security. Since the Christmas Day attempted terrorist attack in the United States, the Government has conducted its own internal examination of the adequacy of our own arrangements to Australian airports. This investigation was directed by myself, to occur by the National Security Committee, and by the relevant agencies which service that committee. The National Security Committee has met on this on a number of occasions since then. The Government's priority is, of course, to maximise the safety and security of Australians and the Australian travelling public.
The measures that I will announce now, are designed to enhance and strengthen the aviation security regime in Australia, an aviation security regime which is already world class. Over four years, the Government will invest a further $200 million on new and improved security technologies, increased policing at airports, enhanced security procedures, as well as strengthened international cooperation.
I'll go through the measures. The first, the Government will invest $28.5 million to assist the industry to induce a new range of new screening technologies at passenger screening points. These technologies will include the latest body scanners, next generation multi-view X-ray machines, and bottle scanners capable of detecting liquid-based explosives. Body scanners will be introduced progressively, as an additional screening measure, at screening points servicing international departing passengers, by early 2011.
Secondly, the Government will also invest $32 million to bring forward screening at a number of additional regional airports that are currently served by large passenger turboprop aircraft.
Third, the Government is also introducing more stringent training and performance standards for security screening staff, as part of the Government's aviation white paper.
Fourth, the Government will provide $17.7 million to increase the number of firearms and explosive detection dogs at major international airports by 50 per cent.
Fifth, in addition we'll provide $12.3 million to maintain the AFP presence at major airports, in line with the Beale review's recommendations on airport policing, to deliver more responsive and better coordinated policing at these vital gateways.
Sixth, the Government will provide $18.2 million to strengthen engagement and cooperation in the Asia Pacific region, and internationally, to improve security on international flights. This includes an enhanced presence by our officers at last ports of call to Australia.
Seventh, the Government will provide $24.9 million for new technology, as part of the Enhanced Passenger Assessment and Clearance program, to enable customs to assess a larger number of passengers earlier and faster, and critically, to share relevant data with intelligence border management and law enforcement agencies.
Eighth, the Government will provide $11.4 million for the Next Generation Border Security initiative, to use advanced data analysis and risk profiling, to better identify and refer visa applicants who may present national security risks to our intelligence agencies.
Nine, the Government will introduce a number of measures to help secure Australia's air cargo supply chain. We will provide $54.2 million to assist industry to install cargo X-ray screening, and explosive trace detection technology at appropriate locations.
These are the measures that we're announcing today. In total, they come to $200 million of additional investments in our airport security system.
No single measure can prevent a terrorist attack. But given the experience in the United States on the 25th of December, and given the prudent advice by the National Security Adviser, and the National Security Committee of the Cabinet, these are the recommendations which have come forward to the Government, these are the recommendations which the Government has accepted, and has agreed to the funding of. If I could turn to the minister to add to my remarks, and then take your questions.
MINISTER ALBANESE: Thank you, Prime Minister. The Government was in a position to have a comprehensive approach because of the work that we'd put in, in developing the aviation white paper. Many of these recommendations come directly from the aviation white paper. In some cases, what we've been able to do, for example, with regard to screening at regional airports, we are providing funding for that, and we've brought forward the date of implementation to 2012, whereas the white paper recommended 2014.
All of these are comprehensive. This represents a comprehensive plan, based upon best advice and recommendations. It will require some patience, as we work through the implementation. But I think passengers, as well as the industry, understand that the first priority, as stated in the aviation white paper, of the Government, is the safety and security of the travelling public.
In addition to the measures outlined today, we will be asking the Opposition to agree to allow the regulations, which they disallowed last year in the Senate, requiring regulation of who goes into a cockpit, to be reintroduced into the Senate when the Senate next meets.
This is an important practical reform, it is the case that we can't simply allow self-regulation when it comes to this measure. And we'll be asking the Opposition to reconsider their opposition that they had at the end of last year. Thanks.
JOURNALIST: Mr Albanese, before Christmas you announced a relaxation for travellers, on knitting needles and nail clippers. Are you now going to retreat from that, and how much more difficult will it be for passengers getting on and off planes?
MINISTER ALBANESE: No, what we announced and implemented in December, was an enhancement of aviation security. What we need to do is make sure that we identify risks as they are. The risks that were identified by the experts indicated that some of the items that were on the prohibited items list, such as nail clippers, should be removed from that list so the aviation screeners could concentrate on preventing items getting on to planes that represented a real risk.
We took that advice, it was a good measure, and just is consistent with the approach that is represented today. Which is to take the advice of experts, with regard to risk, and to implement them. And we'll be having discussions, of course, with industry, about the rolling out of these changes and the timings.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] address the privacy concerns that people have with body scanning technology?
MINISTER ALBANESE: Well, with regard to the trial that we took - undertook in 2008, the Government has received the recommendations from that trial. It indicated, certainly, that body scanners are the best technology that is there, to identify an item getting on to an aircraft, such as that which occurred on 25 December.
So, we are also, though - it is the case, that since that trial was conducted, new technology has moved on and, indeed, there is now digital imaging technology, which is an improvement on that which was trialled. So, we'll be having full consultation and involvement with the Privacy Commissioner, with other organisations, as we did, indeed, for the trial, including looking at health issues, and making sure that all of those issues are dealt with.
But we have a responsibility to use the best technology available. The advice is that this is the best technology currently available. It will be introduced progressively, from the beginning of 2011, firstly in the form of secondary screening, but we will be involving the Privacy Commissioner and the relevant authorities in the rollout of this technology.
JOURNALIST: Did a review of the aviation security system, after 25 December, reveal whether the gentleman involved in that incident would have been able to get on a plane in Australia? And what's the status of Australia's do not fly register?
DUNCAN LEWIS: The results of the review showed that our current system of aviation settings, those security arrangements we have in place, are generally fine. They've been evolved over a period of time, as you know, and they're periodically updated, but it did show that there were a couple of areas where we needed to pay more attention.
One was in the area of information: the fusing and the analysis of information. The second was for - with regard to passenger screening. And with regard to the third it was to do with the application of the most recent technologies that are available.
So if they take those three things in aggregate, what we have done now is addressed some of those areas where we think improvement could be made. But I just want to stress that there is no single silver bullet in this business, but we have here a package of very, very appropriate and, I think what will be successful, measures in place.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, a lot of people will be concerned -
PM: I'll come to your question. Just to add to Duncan's answer to the question just asked, I think it's fair to say, having been through many meetings of the National Security Committee on this, that there was a degree of uncertainty about the adequacy of measures, and therefore the recommendations came forward to enhance security.
It's very important when you have an incident like this somewhere in the world, like we saw in the United States on 25 December, to immediately learn from it; go through it from A to Z, parallel that to your own circumstances and work out where we could enhance in order to make a difference; that's what we sought to do.
And very soon after 25 December, that was the nature of the review that I asked the National Security Adviser to commission. Over here.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, a lot people are going to be concerned that these body scanners will allow them to be seen naked as they go in and out of airports. What guarantees can you give to people that these images aren't going to end up on the internet? That people aren't going to be perving at them? That they can feel that their privacy isn't being invaded while you're trying to, at the same time, protect them?
PM: On the privacy questions I'll go to Albo again.
MINISTER ALBANESE: Look, there are - there is new technology available. We'll be - as part of this announcement we've said we'll be looking at the form of the technology. But certainly in operation right now, since the trial occurred 18 months ago, there is technology for example that produces what's known in the industry as a stick figure. So it identifies on the screen something that has to be checked, without identifying things that demure people, such as yourself, might not want to be checked.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd, just on another issue, yesterday Tony Abbott...
PM: In other words we've been through that a fair bit and the minister's response is frankly the best way forward in what will be, you know, a difficult debate. There's going to be two impacts for the public: concerns about that on the one hand; concerns also on the other hand about the speed of getting through. We've got to make a judgement here. An incident has occurred in the United States; you learn practical things from it, you get the best advice, you respond. But let's be very blunt about the fact there will be impacts on the public. Matthew?
JOURNALIST: Yesterday Tony Abbott said that people would be (inaudible) for the good old days of health, in time since then you have said, 'well we have done lots on health'. You have stopped the cap on GPs, you have put, you have got more student nurses and you have put more money into public hospitals, but can you tell the public that that has actually made any difference to services today, to their ability to get to a GP, to their ability to get the services they want out of the hospital?
PM: Well can I give you one practical example, when this matter was raised yesterday on the health debate, the challenge was in relation to elective surgery. There are 60,000-plus additional elective surgery procedures which have been conducted on the basis of the national partnership agreements we have entered into between the Australian Government and the State Government since this Government formed office only two years ago. That is 60,000 procedures different and that was made possible as one part of the increase by 50 per cent in the overall funding by the Australian Government to the States and Territories under the Australian Healthcare Agreement.
As I said yesterday, I really welcome this debate on health and hospitals, particularly from the Leader of the Opposition, who as we know, gave the Australian public his rock solid, iron clad guarantee that the Medicare safety net would be preserved after the 2004 election. Well not just that, ripping a billion dollars out of the system.
This will be a good debate, I welcome it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just back to aviation security for a moment. The aviation security identity cards allow people who work at airports to go behind into secure areas. At the moment there are only photographic IDs that are necessary. Your agencies have told you that you need some sort of biometric way of identifying these people. Why aren't you including that in this package?
PM: I'll turn to the Minister in a minute, but can I make one addition to my further remarks.
All that we have announced today is part of a continuing review of procedures. What we have before us are the recommendations for action which have been put forward to us by the agency as needing to be done now. We completely reserve our position in terms of further measures in this and related areas in the period ahead. Did you want to add to that?
MINISTER ALBANESE: Sure. Just as part of the aviation white paper was a tightening up, a widening, more about a doubling of the number of offences which would rule people out of being eligible for an ASIC card, we also hardened up the penalties for non-disclosure of information.
We believe, as the Prime Minister has said and as I've said, particularly in the wake of the 25th of December, that you have to be vigilant when it comes to aviation security. We take advice, we implement that advice. We did that through the aviation white paper, and that's why we tightened up the ASIC card regime.
JOURNALIST: But hundreds of these cards go missing every year.
MINISTER ALBANESE: We tightened up the ASIC card regime with regard to, as part of the recommendations of the aviation white paper. We think that these measures today represent a comprehensive plan, here and abroad, based upon the advice that we've received from the experts on the ground.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] your department recommended biometric identifiers, Minister, your department, did it not in its internal review of the ASIC system, recommended biometric identification, fingerprinting? Why haven't you picked up that recommendation?
MINISTER ALBANESE: Look, what I've picked up today, as we picked up in the aviation white paper that was developed in a comprehensive way; we had an aviation green paper at the end of 2008, we had a year of consultation with industry, we had a year of consultation with expert advice and we've followed that advice. And I think today represents the implementation of many of the recommendations that we were there in the aviation white paper. There were over 130 recommendations.
What you'll see, today you're seeing a roll-out on aviation safety and security. What you'll see progressively is a rolling-out of those other recommendations to make sure that we have, for the first time ever, a comprehensive plan when it comes to aviation.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible)
PM: Ill go to that one before I go to this one here, because you were next - oh he was, mate, I just gave him the nod before.
We are still working our way through other measures. And so the question that you raise goes to other measures, and we don't rule any other measures, sort of, in or out at this stage. We are acting on the basis of the advice that we've received and advice which we specifically sought following the incident in the United States on the 25th of December.
We must take every reasonable measure to underpin the security of the Australian travelling public using our airports. There is no silver bullet. It would be irresponsible of us, however, not to take these actions.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd, you mentioned that one of the factors that you were considering was that this would cause greater delays. What's the advice that you've had about that, the extra delays that these security measures will create in - will have in airports?
PM: It will depend entirely on the nature of the primary and secondary screening decisions which are taken at individual airports, because one is more intensive and extensive than the other, but I'll turn to the Minister again.
MINISTER ALBANESE: The trial that was conducted showed that there would be essentially a six-minute delay if it was implemented across the board. Primary screening means everyone who goes through the international airport goes through a scanner. Secondary screening - screening is similar to which the ETDs, explosive trace devices - detectors are currently used. That is, you would all be familiar, some people get chosen.
What this also does in terms of the recommendations is a significant expansion of ETDs, a doubling, in effect, on the ground of the application of ETDs. There's a number of detail, when you drill down into the recommendations and the roll-out that we've provided you, you'll see that.
We've been in consultation with industry. We will be working with them, both the airlines and the airports to make sure that we minimise disruption to the travelling public. It's a matter of getting that balance right. But when there's a question of minimising disruption and safety of the travelling public, we err unapologetically, on the cautious side.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister just on another topic, are you satisfied or do you believe there was sufficient due process with the employment of Mike Kaiser to his NBN position?
PM: NBN Co has made its own independent decisions on that. As I am advised, they conducted I think two or three separate interviews before reaching their determination on that and the CEO of NBN Co has defended completely the integrity of the process.
And before the Opposition jump up and down too much about that, I mean the important thing here is just to bear in mind the fact that qualifications for positions in public institutions, public life or elsewhere, don't disappear at the point at which you exit a political life.
I mean we have quite plainly appointed people like Brendan Nelson, appointed people like Peter Costello, Tim Fischer. I think we gave something to Arthur Sidodinos, I am not sure. But the bottom line is, you know that is our approach. On the processes particular to NBN Co, as the CEO indicated yesterday, it was their independent decision and they as I understand it, undertook three sets of interviews before reaching that decision.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible) security legislation, we were told today that some security legislation coming through parliament involving both ASIO and the Telecommunications Act. Now I understand this is to do with eavesdropping on boat people activities. Would be able to tell us what it's about and maybe, if you don't, refer it to your Minister?
PM: I'd prefer to have the relevant Minster speak to that later on. If you want that Minister to do a press conference later on, I'd prefer that was done for the simple reason I don't wish to mislead you on the content.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Green Loans Program and the Home Insulation Programs were central parts of your climate change policies. How have they been botched so badly?
PM: First of all on Green Loans, let's just go to the number of households which have already been booked for a sustainability assessment. Let's just go to the scope, that is how many people are interested. We provided funding for up to 360,000 Australian households to be assessed in terms of their energy assessments. 205,000 households have already been booked. 128,000 of these have already been completed. That's what's occurred so far.
I'm not saying there haven't been problems with this. Plainly, there are and they need to be dealt with, and you would have seen a statement from Minister Garrett today.
The other point that I would make in relation to the scheme overall is that the number of people who are being trained as assessors - which is another part of the current debate, legitimate debate to have - we've undertaken the training of a number of assessors to work within the program and also to work beyond the program more generally in, let's call it, the environment sector of the economy. The program that we put in had a time limit to it which expires at a particular time. We'll continue to work our way through this in terms of whether any changes need to be made to the future of the program as well.
But can I say, the criticisms, it's all fair cop. The Minister's set up an investigation, I think with Price Waterhouse Coopers. That's happening. But I want you to put into context the fact that right across Australia there is a very large roll out of this and it has been welcomed by households across the country. It's not perfect, there've been problems of implementation and that's why the Minister has established that inquiry.
JOURNALIST: Why would bureaucrats in remote Canberra be any better at running public hospitals financing than the state government?
PM: Well that assumes an outcome of the future directions on health and hospitals which the Government is yet to announce. But you know one of the key recommendations which, and one of the key comments that we've got from so many hospitals around the country, so many hospitals large and small, country and city, is they want to have a greater sense of being able to, frankly, control their own finances.
So how does that feed into the long-term structure of the health and hospital system reforms, we've not quite finally determined. We're still having a little while longer with some final consultations with the states, but the key thing here is, well, one part of it is of course, the source of finance. The second is the reliability in growth of finance. The third is the discretion and the local discretion available to people and how that is used on the ground.
Local clinicians have said to us right across the country that they, within their hospitals, have a whole lot of expertise about how to get throughput up, quality delivery improved, if they had in many cases, local discretion.
Now that's still part and parcel of our internal deliberations. I go back to what I said before, I think in the answer to Matthew's question, I really look forward to this debate on health and hospitals - very important for the nation long term, aging of the population, sustainability of the finance, getting it right and we intend to crack this nut within our first term in office. And can I say, after 12 years in office on the previous mob, and a current Leader of the Opposition who said when he became health minister that the Commonwealth should take over the system and welched on it four years after that, I welcome the debate at every level, politics and policy, very soon.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd were you or your office aware at the time that Senator Conroy was putting forward Mike Kaiser's name for that job?
PM: I became aware of Mr Kaiser's appointment, after it was publicly announced. Secondly my office were apprised by NBN Co and or the Minister's office, I can't recall which, between the decision being taken by NBN Co and the public announcement.
So there you go, that is the sequence of it. I go back to the point though, this is an independent decision by NBN Co. They had three sets of interviews, I think Mr Quigley has explained the general recruiting processes, in terms of their reliance upon various methods of appointing people. So we have full and complete confidence in NBN Co and the CEO is doing a great job.
JOURNALIST: Did you see any of Malcolm Turnbull's speech on climate change yesterday and what did you think of it? And with the maternity leave announcement this morning from the Coalition, are you afraid that the Coalition is trumping you on some of your big ticket items?
PM: First of all, I welcome a debate on policy because there has not been a lot of that from those opposite including on climate change, apart from the policy said, from the man who said that climate change was absolute crap, but he now believes in it.
Also, when it comes to paid parental leave, has anyone looked at Mr Abbott's historical record on this one - against it, for it, who should pay for it; the Government, business. There has been about five different positions on that one as well, but I am sure straight talking Tony will sort that one out for you as well. On the question of Mr Turnbull's presentation yesterday, I didn't see it.
I have read parts of it from the Hansard. The thing I would say about Mr Turnbull is he has a consistent and principled position about acting in a real way on climate change. That is why he described on his blog site just before Christmas, Mr Abbott's position as a fig leaf seeking to conceal the fact that they were not doing anything real at all.
On paid parental leave let me just say one other thing. You know, we went through a process: productivity commission, recommendation, here is our policy. 18 weeks is how much we think we can do. Fully costed, fully funded, based on the best policy advice.
As I said, Mr Abbott has had a dozen different positions, a half a dozen different positions on that, but once again we had a position put out by him which is uncosted and unfunded. Let me just add one final point on this. You know, today we have on the question of the economy, Senator Joyce going out to the Australian public and saying the following: we have got to ask the question, how in debt do you want to go, we are getting to a point where we can't repay it, we are getting to a point we can't repay it, unquote.
The alternative finance minister of Australia today, challenges the sovereign debt integrity of the Commonwealth of Australia. In the past he has done that in relation to the United States, in the past he has done that in relation to various state governments of Australia. Today, he brings into public doubt, the Commonwealth public debt repayment ability.
This is a most fundamentally irresponsible remark by someone who puts himself forward as the alternative finance minister of Australia, a man put in that position by a Leader of the Opposition who said he has no interest in economics whatsoever.
So you ask sometimes about risk for the future, risks for the economy, risk is here personified in the alternative finance minister who thinks that you can just play fast and loose with public language on Australia's sovereign debt.
And to conclude, on the question of economic credibility, Mr Abbott effectively says today, keeping Australia out of recession was a waste of money. Have a look at what he said, for goodness sake, for goodness sake. You know, looking at the jobs of Australians which have been saved by the Government's national stimulus strategy, and Mr Abbott today basically says, keeping Australia out of recession was a big waste of money.
Well I would like him to answer that question, directly to the working households of Australia, hundreds of thousands of them, when we met here in this room in October of 2008, the galvanising principle for us was how do you protect Australian jobs.
We went through what happened in the '90's, we went through what happened in the '80's and we weren't about to see it happen again. We were going to put every hand to the tiller to make a difference. So on the question of risk to the economy, you have got a Leader of the Opposition who says keeping Australia out of recession was a waste of money.
You have got an alternative finance minister who today publicly questions whether Australia's sovereign debt is repayable. I leave this question for you all as Mr Abbott goes through his little hoopla performance in the party room today, where he seems to be suggesting that the next election is in the bag, these are deep questions of risk for Australia.
And this is going to be a hard fought election. Two or three people change their vote, you get Senator Joyce as your finance Minister and Mr. Abbott as your Prime Minister. We think that is obviously a matter for the Australian people. For us this will be a very hard fought election. Thank you.