Originally Posted by
grannieflyer
I totally concur with all posters in this thread. I also believe that anything sensible that can be done to catch/counteract potential terrorism is to be applauded.
Problem is, the scanners don't do
anything to counteract terrorism or increase security.
I am due to fly out from SYD in a couple of weeks to uk - done so many times, but not with these dreaded scanners in place. Am a female of some years (!) who has a back full of titanium (never beeped before), has had the 'pleasure' of being swabbed down at least 5 times at SYD (what the ***, are grannie fliers normally targeted - seems they are - but no objection, swabbers always polite).
The screeners operating the ETD machines have a quota to keep. When they are done with one person, they will grab the next person coming off the baggage xray. During busy periods, if timed right you can avoid them. At other times, it is almost certain that you'll get swabbed.
But I do object to the body scan. For starters am a breast cancer survivor and had a mastectomy - ie have a false boobie. Not ashamed, hubbie loves me heaps. BUT, the blurb about the Aussie scanners state proudly - they only detect: liquids, GELS, etc, etc. My prosthesis is made of gel.
Most of what the government has released about the scanners is a lie. They don't detect "weapons", "liquids" etc, they detect "objects" above a certain density (that the EM radiation will reflect off instead of pass through).
ps, realise that the scanners may not be running mid March, but they will be doing so in future, so still a problem.
The scanners can not be rolled out until a bill permitting them passes. That bill is currently before a House committee inquiry which needs to report back to the House of Reps with recommendations and any changes. It then needs to pass the House and move to the Senate which can then make changes. It needs to pass both houses in the same form before it is made law and the scanners can be rolled out.
Problem is the transport minister is determined to have them and the submission period for public comment to the committee was extremely short. He wants them in place by July, so clearly he thinks it will be a simple matter to get the bill through the entire process in its current form quickly. Every submission, other then the governments own, was opposed to the scanners and media polling showed about 63% opposed. At this stage we have to wait until the inquiry reports back.
Otherwise we need the Governor General to do what the Australian people want and desolve parliament and force an election. That would then cause the bill to be tossed out and have to be re-tabled with a new parliament.