Airport staff face tighter checks
Paul Maley From: The Australian January 11, 2010 12:00AM
BACKGROUND checks for airport employees should be expanded to include a person's financial history and possible links to organised crime.
As Transport Minister Anthony Albanese met US Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute yesterday to discuss tighter airport security, government sources doused suggestions Australia would adopt full body scanners. The meeting followed calls from Australia's peak financial intelligence agency, AusTrac, to expand the background checks for airport employees to include suspect financial transactions and criminal intelligence suggesting links to organised crime.
AusTrac has also called on the government to give it access to the troubled maritime and aviation identification security systems to identify staff with criminal links.
Mr Albanese met Ms Holl Lute at Sydney airport as part of the US official's whistle-stop tour of Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and South America.
The tour comes in the wake of the failed attempt by Nigerian man Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to bring down a US passenger aircraft using liquid explosives concealed in his underwear.
Abdulmutallab managed to board the Detroit-bound aircraft despite being on a terror watch list and undergoing airport security screening.
Full body scanners, which can see beneath clothes and have been attacked by civil liberties groups, are among the measures being considered by officials around the world to toughen airport security.
Mr Albanese confirmed various technologies were discussed at the meeting.
"One of the issues raised was how new technology can assist with aviation security," Mr Albanese said. But he went on to say that aviation security must be "appropriate to the threat".
The government is awaiting a report into a six-month trial of the scanners, due within months.
However, The Australian understands the government is yet to be convinced about the value of scanners, citing their cost and the high level of training required to operate them.
Nor is it clear they are capable of detecting all concealed materials.
In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry, AusTrac said corrupt airport employees could be identified by tracking suspect financial dealings. And in what would amount to a major expansion of the ASIC system, AusTrac said the checking process should be broadened to include an employee's criminal links or suspect financial transactions: "AusTrac believes there would be benefit in expanding the criminal history check to include criminal and financial intelligence."
An ASIC card is required for anyone whose work requires their unescorted access to a security-controlled airport.
Source:
The Australian, 11-1-2010 Page 1.
My Bold emphasis in story body.
Would this be limited to just the employee or their immediate family or the extended family as well. How about friends & known associates? Maybe in the future they will be required to be listed on the application as well.
Welcome, Big Brother.