Mr Tanner asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Development, upon notice on 8 October 1996:

(1) What sum (a) was originally quoted by Search and Rescue (SAR) Pty Ltd for the sale of search and rescue equipment to Airservices Australia and (b) will Airservices pay for the equipment.

(2) Is Airservices Australia conducting a normal tendering process for the

purchase of the equipment.

(3) Has the training program for the operation of the Precision Aerial Deployment System (PADS) been contracted to the person who chaired the committee charged with evaluating the merits of PADS; if so, was the contract put out to tender.

Mr Sharp —The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

(1) (a) I am advised by Airservices Australia that in the tender process for purchase of equipment in 1995, SAR Pty Ltd tendered a per unit price ranging from $4,500 to $3,600 (depending on volume) for precision Aerial Delivery Systems (PADS) equipment, $1,250 for storpedos, plus $435 for each static line. On 6 August 1996 the Chief Executive Officer of SAR Pty Ltd confirmed orally to the Chairman of Airservices Australia that the PADS unit prices would remain the same as the rates contained in the 12 May SAR Pty Ltd tender proposal.

(b) In a contract concluded on 18 September 1996, a price of $4,950 per unit including the static line and $1,550 per unit for storpedos was settled.

(2) No. The Airservices Australia board resolved that in the event it is determined by an independent panel of experts that the Airservices Search and

Rescue delivery system should be replaced partially or in full by equipment available from SAR Pty Ltd or a third party, then the replacement system shall be purchased within a financial limit of not more than $1 million. The decision was based on safety and public interest consideration.

Airservices was already aware of the capability of alternative suppliers of search and rescue equipment from a previous tendering process and made this information available to the independent panel of experts.

(3) No. The independent panel which evaluated the merits of search and rescue equipment, including the PADS equipment, was chaired by Mr Frank Young. Training of Civil SAR Units (CSUs) was to be conducted by Airservices, using three teams comprising Airservices dropmasters and pilot instructors contracted from the industry. Mr Young was contracted as a consultant to Airservices to coordinate and manage the delivery of the equipment and training to Airservices.

Airservices Australia have advised me that they did not obtain competitive quotes for the consul tancy because safety and public interest considerations necessitated urgent action.