Aviation safety
ABC666 "AM" Louise Yaxley interviews Commander Steve Lancaster
26 April 2005
Tony Eastley: In the past week three people in Canberra have discovered that the new security rules in force at Australian airports are no laughing matter. They've all been arrested for joking about having dangerous items in their luggage. Yesterday a 24-year-old man from Queensland was fined $750 plus court costs and put on a 12 month good behaviour bond because when asked by check-in staff if he had any sharp or flammable objects in his bag, he responded "no only cocaine and guns". He told the court he was probably still drunk from the night before, but the Australian Federal Police say there's no allowance for jokes; people can expect to be charged. Louise Yaxley reports.
Yaxley: The tough new rules imposing fines of more than $5000 and a criminal record came into force in March. But people still haven't been able to resist making a joke about the contents of their bag as they pass airport security. Commander Steve Lancaster from the Australian Federal Police says, as three people in the last week have discovered, there's no room for attempts at humour in the check in cue.
Lancaster: Notwithstanding whether the comments were made in jest or they had a frustration, the result will be the same. But there is a good chance that they will be put before the courts under these new regulations.
Yaxley: Commander Lancaster says people should know about the new rules. Cameron Murphy, secretary of the Australian Council for Civil Liberty says the rules aren't appropriate.
Murphy: This legislation should be about stopping terrorists, we shouldn't be attacking ordinary innocent Australians in the process.
Yaxley: He says the legislation should be changed and it should be applied differently so that people are given a warning.
Murphy: I think in many situations it could be evidenced with a bit of follow-up investigation to determine whether someone's telling a joke or not. In some cases people need to be protected from themselves; people are nervous at airports, they can't help it. For many people it's first time that they've travelled, or they're scared of getting on a plane so these are all reasons as to why people might take a light-hearted approach to checking their luggage in.
Yaxley: Mr Murphy says at times it's farcical.
Murphy: A recent example with someone at an airport in Melbourne who talked about a football match and bombing a goal kick -- now that was interpreted as a bomb, security alert occurred and the person was reprimanded.
Yaxley: But Commander Lancaster says there's no room for interpretation in these uncertain times.
Lancaster: What we're really pleading with the members of the public is to enjoy the holidays, but don't spoil it -- just act responsible when going to board an aircraft.
Yaxley: What if the comment is a really harmless or really obviously meant as a joke.
Lancaster: All these people who are employed within an airport environment really don't have much time to determine whether it's joke or not and they treat it very serious. I think everyone must know by now, following September 11, that airport security is treated very seriously across all businesses in the airport and also by the public, and we will treat it seriously regardless of whether it's a joke or not.
Yaxley: The federal government says jokes about security cause distress to passengers and staff, they're expensive to deal with and cause delays because they have to be taken seriously just in case they aren't jokes.
Eastley: Louise Yaxley reporting from Canberra.
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