Servile Rudd acquiesces to Washington’s demands! - International Human Rights

The following story from the Age is typical and avoids many issues not least of which is who stands to profit from these clearly unsafe and intrusive radiation machines?

Full-body airport scans part of security revamp
by Jonathan Pearlman

AIRLINE passengers will have full-body screening at Australia's international airports from next year in an upgrade of security that could lead to delays and extra costs.

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said the body scanners would produce stick figures rather than naked images, but has referred changes to the Privacy Commissioner to ensure they do not unduly intrude on privacy.

The body screening will not be applied to all passengers. The government has yet to decide whether they will be chosen randomly for tests or profiled as potential threats.

''We'll be looking at the form of the technology,'' he said. ''There is technology, for example, that produces what's known in the industry as a stick figure. So it identifies on the screen something that has to be checked, without identifying things that demure people might not want to be checked.''

The four-year, $200 million upgrade includes a doubling of random explosive testing at the eight main airports, improved passenger screening, extra dogs, cargo X-ray screening and the introduction of multi-view X-ray machines and bottle scanners, capable of detecting liquid-based explosives.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said: ''This may mean it takes longer for passengers to pass through security, but the government believes that this inconvenience is a small price to pay for increased security.

''Although no single measure can prevent a terrorist attack, new technologies, better training and greater co-operation with other governments can help us stay one step ahead of terrorist organisations.''

The upgrade follows a review of security after an attempted attack on Christmas Day in the US by a man who hid a bomb in his underwear.

Australia's foremost anti-terrorism expert, Clive Williams of the Australian National University, said the money could be better spent on strategies that weeded out terrorists before they got to the screening gate. ''By the time somebody that has intent gets to the screening point, they can get through screening if they're well organised.''

The changes are likely to create extra costs and could lead to an increase of the $47 passenger movement charge for departing international travellers.

''There will be costs for airport operators for training and implementation,'' said the executive director of the Tourism & Transport Forum Brett Gale. ''Given the additional scanners and X-ray machines will be for outbound passengers and that a random selection of passengers will be screened, any inconvenience or delays for travellers should be minimal.''

Security analyst Anthony Bergin said the changes focused excessively on technology and lacked ''human'' measures such as improved checks of staff. ''One of the weakest systems in airport security is the quality and trainers of the screeners,'' said Dr Bergin, director of research programs at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

He said body scanners would improve security but were not foolproof and may require profiling of passengers. ''Outside of stripping people, they will not detect things that are held inside the body or whether someone has swallowed something. It raises issues to do with profiling. Those issues will be sensitive. It will raise issues about the training of screeners and the quality of the screeners.''

Opposition transport spokesman Warren Truss said body scanners would intrude on privacy and should only be used if they were vital to security.

Australian Privacy Foundation chairman Roger Clarke warned of flight delays, staff not knowing how to operate machines, false positives, health and safety issues, and ''the great unknown'' of the impact upon privacy.

© 2010 Fairfax Digital

Topics

Other Press

Cleaves on Disc/Stick