Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese, met Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security Jane Holl Lute on January 10 to discuss aviation security procedures in the wake of the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a Delta/Northwest Airbus A330 on a flight from Amsterdam to the US.
“Building on a long history of cooperation between Australia and the United States in the fight against global terrorism, today’s meeting provided an opportunity to make sure our respective aviation and border security arrangements are coordinated and appropriate to the evolving threat,” the Minister said in a statement of the meeting at Sydney Airport.
Deputy Secretary Lute was in Sydney as part of a trip to visit major international airports worldwide to discuss security.
As well as the minister and officials from his department, the Prime Minister’s National Security Advisor Duncan Lewis and officials from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship were present at the meeting.