Don't forget your state Senators too - they're the ones who agreed to this stinking pile of cr@p
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/senator...s/si-state.htm
Nice sample lettre on AGACF too..
This is my letter to Senator Campbell - feel free to steal part or all of it
Dear Senator Campbell,
I am writing to you regarding the 'Aviation Security Amendment Bill 2004' that was recently read in the Senate. As a private pilot I wish to complain about the unnecessary fees proposed for all pilots throughout Australia and the erosion of our civil liberties.As well as being a costly and resource intensive operation, this legislation will not identify all security threats. In the terrible events of 11th September 2001 it was not a licensed pilot who carried out the terrorist acts, but a student with very little training. In fact, at the time the media made much of the fact that a complete novice could learn to crash a plane using Microsoft Flight Simulator (will purchasers of this software also be screened?) .
This section of the bill will do little to enhance the security of Australia but will place another burden on an industry that is already struggling under over-regulation and rising costs. As a private pilot I can not claim the cost of this security check (which I am told is $150 more than an ASIC) as an expense, and contrary to public opinion - most private pilots are not rich millionaires like the Dick Smiths and Sir Richard Bransons of the world. Many small operators have already informed their pilots that they will not meet the cost - the pilots will have to pay it themselves. You say that you have spent a lot of time in the general aviation sector, so you would be aware that GA pilots are poorly paid in comparison to their airline counterparts, in fact some earn less than the people who refuel their aircraft. About the only people who won't be adversely affect are the airline pilots of QANTAS, Virgin Blue etc.
The time taken to perform this security check will also adversely affect GA and the training industry. I have spoken to an instructor who had a student wait 3 months for their licence from CASA. What delays will we see when this legislation takes effect !?! This causes delays in their flying training as they cannot proceed until they receive their licence. In comparison, aviation training in New Zealand is booming.
Furthermore, the screening of every pilot raises the question of where does it end? Should drivers of heavy vehicles also be screening? Bus drivers? Private motorsists On reading Hansards I see this was labelled as "ludicrous", however I ask you - what would be the most dangerous? The small Cessna 152s and 172s that I fly or a stolen petrol tanker wired with explosive and driven into the centre of Sydney? Overseas experience has shown that the terrorists 'weapon of choice' is a car, truck or small van packed with explosive - yet the users of these vehicles are not being screened. In Senate you stated that "an aeroplane of virtually any size can be turned into an enhanced weapon.". If this is correct - why are glider pilots and ultralight pilots not being screened? Advances in ultralight design have progressed to the stage that some are as big as a Cessna 152 and being of streamlined fibreglass design can fly faster than this aircraft.
I ask that the government reconsider this section of the bill to prevent the unneccesary burden it would place on the general aviation sector. Whilst I have nothing to fear from a security check (having infact already undergone one when applying for a position with defence forces), pilots are being unfairly targetted - I do not like being considered a potential terrorist simply because of my hobby. In the United States of America - the country that suffered an attack by terrorists in hijacked aircraft - they have no intention of screening every pilot - so why does Australia?