With reference to the role of AusSAR (Australian Search and Rescue) in the unsuccessful search for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs vessel the Malu Sara in October 2005:

(1)   Was the helicopter VH-RHJ Bell 412 utilised during the search.

(2)   Which agency tasked the helicopter.

(3)   Where was the helicopter located when it was tasked to perform search activities.

(4)   Can the Minister confirm the helicopter was not engaged in search activities until the afternoon of 15 October 2005.

(5)   Can the Minister outline the helicopter’s search activities including ‘wheels up’ and ‘wheels down’ details.

(6)   What is the engine and search and rescue capability of the helicopter and the search and rescue capability of the crew.

(7) (a)   Is the helicopter fitted with Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) and night vision equipment; and (b) does FLIR and night vision equipment provide night searching capability, in particular, the ability to visually ascertain the actual situation of a vessel reported to be sinking.

(8)   Is the helicopter fitted with auto-hover capability; if so, are the crew trained and current in its use at night.

(9)   Was the helicopter and crew available in the early hours of 15 October 2005 for an emergency callout.

(10)   Why was the helicopter not tasked before the afternoon of 15 October 2005.

(11)   Can details be provided of all occasions on which AusSAR has tasked the helicopter to perform search and rescue activities in the Torres Strait.

(12)   Can details be provided of all occasions on which AusSAR has tasked the helicopter to engage in search and rescue training activities in the Torres Strait.

(13)   Is the helicopter on a 24-hour callout contract to another Commonwealth agency; if so, what are the contractual arrangements for callout and what is the contracted emergency response time.

(1)   Yes.

(2)   AMSA.

(3)   Horn Island.

(4)   No. The helicopter was requested at 1135 hours on 15 October 2005.

(5)   Yes. The helicopter was involved in area search, rescue asset carriage and dropping and locating Search and Rescue Datum Buoys. The table below provides the times of operation:

Engines on Hours	Engines off Hours
15 October 2005
1246	1441
1704	1925
2030	2232
16 October 2005
1343	1632
2054	2354
17 October 2005
1424	1527
1544	1852
18 October 2005
0818	1140
1231	1309
1546	1840
19 October 2005
0933	1230

(6)   The search and rescue capability of the helicopter and its crew include the ability to: •       Operate under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) conditions. •       Undertake operations over land and water, including searches, aerial direction finding (homing) to distress beacons and, during daylight hours, rescue persons with a two-person capacity winch and deliver emergency supplies. •       Undertake operations a minimum of 80 nautical miles offshore and remain on-scene for 20 minutes. •       Conduct searches with Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) camera to allow tasking for some limited night operations in accordance with the helicopter’s Operations Manual. These operations are subject to the location and the prevailing meteorological conditions.

(7) (a)   Yes. (b) Yes.

(8)   No.

(9)   Unknown to AMSA

(10)   The ATSB report on page 26 records that the conditions overnight from 14 to 15 October 2005 prevented the use of a helicopter as the night visual flight rules precluded its operation at night over water. When the two surface search vessels could not locate the vessel early in the morning of 15 October 2005, the ATSB report records on page 28 that the Queensland Police contacted a local helicopter service to provide another helicopter to search for the vessel. After the search by surface vessels and the other helicopter had not located the vessel, AMSA was formally asked by the Queensland Police at 1218 hours on 15 October 2005 to assume responsibility for coordinating an extensive aerial search, which included using helicopter VH-RHJ Bell 412.

(11)   The helicopter has been tasked in 215 search and rescue incidents between 1/1/2000 and 1/8/2006.

(12)   AMSA has provided ten search and rescue training sessions at the helicopter operator’s base in the Torres Strait.

(13)   The helicopter is contracted to another Commonwealth agency. AMSA is not aware of the contractual arrangements.