SENATOR FAULKNER asked Senator Minchin, as the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, without notice on 8 March 2001, Hansard, page 22563:

(1) Has the minister's attention been drawn to the reported remarks of the Prime Minister, concerning the need to replace the VIP aircraft fleet, consisting of two Boeing 707s and five Falcons.

(2) Minister, in light of the Prime Minister's concern for the crew of these aircraft, will you assure the Senate that all of these aircraft, including the 707 mid-air refuellers, will cease flying at the same time as the VIP aircraft are removed from service.

(3) Will the government ensure that no ADF personnel will be flying in aircraft described by the Prime Minister as `almost dangerous'.

(4) Can the minister confirm now, or on notice, that the existing VIP fleet is expected to continue to be used by the Australian Defence Force for some years to come, in particular, because there are no replacement aircraft for the mid-air refuellers.

(5) Why did the Prime Minister use the safety argument for the withdrawal of the VIP fleet from service rather than the more reasonable arguments regarding age, noise levels and so on.

SENATOR MINCHIN—The Minister for Defence has provided the following answers to the honourable senator's questions:

(1) Yes.

(2) VIP services are currently provided by a fleet of five dedicated Falcon 900 aircraft, plus the ability to fit up to two VIP suites into any of the fleet of five Boeing 707 tanker/transport aircraft. The Falcon 900 aircraft will be progressively withdrawn and replaced with the new fleet of two International Special Purpose Aircraft (Boeing 737) in mid-2002 and three Domestic Special Purpose Aircraft (Challenger 604) in mid to late 2002. With the introduction of the new International Special Purpose Aircraft, the Boeing 707 will no longer be used for VIP operations, and the fleet reduced from five to four aircraft. The remaining Boeing 707 aircraft were to be retained in RAAF service and operated as air-to-air refuelling and transport aircraft until the introduction of new generation tanker/transport aircraft under Project Air 5402 in 2006. However, due to the increasing cost and length of major servicings being experienced by the Boeing 707 fleet, the RAAF is currently examining other options that would provide a level of interim tanker/transport capability. Funding for this interim capability is included in the Defence White Paper funding parameters announced by the government. This may allow for an earlier retirement of the Boeing 707s.

(3) As I indicated in my response on 8 March, the government would not want or allow its personnel to fly or operate equipment or aircraft regarded as dangerous.

(4) The fleet of Falcon 900 aircraft will be withdrawn and replaced by the new VIP fleet as planned. The requirement for air-to-air refuelling is a separate and enduring requirement that is currently fulfilled by the Boeing 707 fleet. Project Air 5402 is expected to deliver a new generation air-to-air refuelling aircraft to the RAAF from 2006. There are currently no air-to-air refuelling aircraft in production, but tanker aircraft are being developed based on the latest commercial passenger aircraft such as the Boeing 767 and Airbus 310/330.

(5) The Prime Minister was making the point that the increasing age of the aircraft is related to the safety of the Boeing 707 aircraft. Their age, and the greater demands this imposes on the maintenance of the aircraft, is affecting the availability of the aircraft for official duties. This is one of the reasons for the government leasing a replacement fleet.