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CANBERRA - Air travellers entering and leaving Australia will face new restrictions on liquids carried in hand luggage from early next year.
The move follows the arrest in the United Kingdom of terrorism suspects plotting to blow up airliners using the ingredients of liquid explosive smuggled aboard in hand luggage.
Transport Minister Mark Vaile said today that the government would introduce the new hand luggage restrictions in late March.
"As a result of vulnerabilities exposed in the UK in August with regard to liquids being carried in hand luggage onto international flights, the government this week has taken a decision that as of March 31 next year, all international travellers, both outbound and inbound, ... will need to be restricted in the carriage of liquids, aerosols and gels to 100 millilitre containers," he told ABC Radio.
"Those containers will need to be carried in a one litre clear plastic bag in hand luggage and separately screened in the way, for example, that laptop computer batteries are separately screened."
Mr Vaile said the regulations did not apply to liquids in checked luggage, only hand luggage.
He said there would be exceptions for passengers with medical conditions who needed particular medications and also for quantities of baby milk or baby food required for the flight.
They would still have to be screened, he said, adding that experience abroad had shown that the extra screening did not cause much inconvenience or delay.
Mr Howard said the new restrictions would relate to international flights, but the government also would look at extending them to domestic flights.
"It largely mirrors the restrictions that were introduced in the United Kingdom in the aftermath of the foiling of that plot that may have killed thousands of people with mid-air explosions," Mr Howard told Southern Cross Broadcasting today.
"In the circumstances we have no alternative, I know it's a nuisance for people but we are living in this different era and we have people who don't care about human life and we have to take precautions."
Mr Howard said more work needed to be done on potential restrictions for domestic flights because of the large number of people it would effect.
"What we do internally will be subject to a bit more study because the implications of that are much greater -- much much greater -- because it affects far more people," he said.
- AAP
