Tag Archives: legislation

Full Body Scanners Coming To Australia with only No-Scan-No-Fly Available!

I normally write very calm and measured or funny and informative travel articles on this website. I have avoided political statements and since they weren’t particularly relevant to the theme I had established, it hadn’t occurred to me to use this as avenue for a rant. But I have just discovered some news from ‘back home’ in Australia that has alarm bells clanging in my head.

It is, in my opinion, simply appalling that the Australian government has decided that it is wise, safe, or admirable to introduce Full Body Scanners to Australia. This will leave the travelling public over there with no option but to drive or take a train within the country or simply not travel overseas at all if you object to being scanned and having your body dosed with radiation.

The media reports that I have read thus far are simply not mentioning the cumulative health effects of radiation and the studies that have been done in both the USA and Europe that show that this is an unknown and potentially dangerous path to be heading down. Doctors in many countries have told their patients that if they have damaged immune systems, have just had chemotherapy or radiation for cancer, have devices implanted internally that could be damaged by the radiation, or who are already at risk for the cumulative effects of radiation to simply opt-out of full body scans.

This proposed roll-out of these machines in Australia doesn’t even give the travelling public the option of the humiliating but less health-damaging pat down that they do in the USA unless they have what is deemed to be a very serious health condition. This is plainly not a well thought out plan and I am shocked that this is being foisted on the Australian public and international travellers under the guise of the so-called ‘war on terrorism.’

I am complete unconvinced of the truthfulness of the quotes in this article in The Australian.

“The “no scan, no fly” amendment closes a loophole in the legislation, which allows passengers to request a pat-down instead of having to pass through a metal detector.

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said mandatory body scans were necessary to ensure the safety of airports.

“I think the public understands that we live in a world where there are threats to our security and experience shows they want the peace of mind that comes with knowing government is doing all it can,” he said.

The Government has compared the strength of the radio waves emitted from the body scanners as the same as those from a regular mobile phone used several metres away.”

This is simply ludicrous to make these claims when the EU is banning, removing, or cancelling the installation of these same machines. This November 2011 article in a British newspaper details the concerns that are being addressed in Europe. So why is there so little regard for the health and welfare of the Australian travelling public or for international travellers who come and go on holidays or business?

If you too are concerned about the long term effects of radiation when you travel and you don’t qualify for the exemption-via-doctor’s-note option, take a few minutes from your busy day and write to…
1. The Parliament of Australia regarding Aviation Transport Security Amendment (Air Cargo) Bill 2011 at the contact links for the (a) MP list or the (b) Senator list.
2. Contact GetUp: Action For Australia and urge them to QUICKLY begin one of their very successful online campaigns to contest this legislation.
3. Make online comments in the COMMENTS BOX of articles such as this one in The Australian.
4. TWITTER your objections to all of your followers.
5. FACEBOOK your objections to all of your followers.
6. Forward this page with all of the links to your own private email list.

Let’s hope that we can stop this dead in its tracks before it is too late!

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