I think you will find most airports at major centres are in fact security controlled. Sure there are the remote dirt or sealed strips around the place but also without fuel or any other infrastrucucture there.
YRED, a busy place, located aprox nine miles north of the state capitals Int airport is not security controled (via ERSA)
Correct, but they must be escorted AT ALL TIMES whilst airside by an ASIC holder
That makes private pilots targets. An extreme example - Family members at risk of been held hostage to get pilots co-operation.
As long as said bad guy is on the airport during a non operational period, and cannot plant something that can be loaded onto or damage an aircraft... then so what? Procedures, which I will not discuss, for the protection of aircraft and pax during operational periods are a different matter
As an a/c owner, apart from my own vigilance, there is no other security provided to my operations.
I would suggest the cost of all the other security compliance measures that have been supported on other threads such as cameras, fences, screening eqpt etc will have a far greater impact on an airports operating cost.
Islander Jock, I agree here, the ASIC is yet more cost.