Ms GRIERSON (4:05 PM) —by leave—As the Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has outlined, we have submitted an interim report. I think it is important to remember that this inquiry was commenced in May on a unanimous resolution of the committee after we shared the public’s concern and disquiet regarding aviation security. Of course, unlike we who have done previous inquiries and have received evidence, the public rely solely on the media and personal experience. The camel suit incident and the Schapelle Corby allegations of drug smuggling through baggage handling certainly caused the public to feel concerned.

As a consequence, the Wheeler review was also instituted by the government, and since then the report has been handed down by Sir John Wheeler. As the chair has outlined, the recommendations of the Wheeler report have the unanimous support of the committee. We have had extensive submissions and hearings and it has been an onerous task to continue the aviation security inquiry. That is why an interim report is put forward: so that the parliament is aware that we are still finding areas that need further follow-up, and they have been outlined very well by the chair.

The ASICs and visitor passes are a particular area of concern and one that has come up in submissions over and over again. It is pleasing to hear the government announce that the Attorney-General’s Department will now centralise the issuing of ASICs, but we know that there are long waiting periods already. People are giving us evidence that they are shopping around for an ASIC—some providers are supplying them more easily or more readily than others. So I think anything that can be done on the recommendations put forward by the committee to improve the process deserves urgent consideration.

Photographic identification on visitor passes is an excellent recommendation. Allowing general aviation pilots to apply for an ASIC and their pilots licence on the one simple application form would save them a great deal of aggravation. Another recommendation is the application of a bond, which would be refunded on the return of an ASIC. We think that would do a lot to address the concerns. We have had evidence that over 380 ASICs issued by Qantas alone have gone missing. The committee urges DOTARS and the Attorney-General’s Department to take that up.

I thank the secretariat for their hard work in preparing and publishing this report so quickly at a time of year when, as we know, there is so much to do. I hope they enjoy their well-deserved break. I congratulate the chair and my fellow committee members on their hard work on this inquiry.