The Office of Transport Security has said that everything possible is being done to reduce the security threat posed by freight at Australia’s airports. A general manager from the Offi ce told a recent trade and security conference that ASIO was worried cargo could be used to attack planes.

The executive director of the Offi ce, Paul Retter, said the concerns are not new and were raised in Sir John Wheeler’s 2005 report on airport security. He said the Federal Government is continuing to work to increase airport security,particularly on freight.

“I can’t give you a 100 percent guarantee saying that we’ve addressed (the issue) or that there is no risk,” he said. “There’s always risk. But the Australian government working with industry is addressing these vulnerabilities andmitigating these risks.”

However, the Federal Opposition said practical measures to address the security threat are needed now. Labor’s spokesman for homeland security Arch Bevis said: “The time has passed for the governmentto roll out the excuses on this.

They need to put in place the practical measures that actually make it safer.”