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Question and Answer Tracking Details

7318 - Police and Emergency Services - LARGE AIR TANKER

Houssos, Courtney to the Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans representing the Minister for Police and Emergency Services

(1) Does the Government own the Marie Bashir 737 Large Air Tanker?

(2) Is the Marie Bashir 737 Large Air Tanker registered as N138CG?

(a) If so:

(i) Why is the Marie Bashir registered in the United States of America under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and not the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)?

(ii) Why does the Federal Aviation Administration list N138CG list ‘Delaware Trust Co Trustee’?

(iii) If the FAA registration is incorrect, has the New South Wales Government taken legal or administrative action to have N138CG registered with a New South Wales Government entity as the owner?

(3) On 22 August 2019, the Minister David Elliott, MP said “the air tanker has a cruising speed of 850 kilometres an hour and it can carry up to 15,000 litres of water and fire suppressant. It can also transport 70 firefighters to anywhere in New South Wales within an hour. Being able to deploy firefighters within an hour is a significant capability for our Rural Fire Service [RFS]—indeed, we have already done so":

(a) Is the aircraft currently certified to ‘transport 70 firefighters’?

(b) When was this certification achieved?

(c) When did the Marie Bashir first ‘transport 70 firefighters’?

(i) Was this sanctioned by CASA?

(d) What volume of water or fire suppressant would otherwise fit in to the 70-seat passenger compartment?

(4) Why did the Government send the Large Air Tanker to North America three days prior to the commencement of the bush fire danger period in the northern New South Wales Local Government Areas (LGA)?

(a) Was a specific risk assessment on the northern LGAs conducted prior to this deployment?
Answer -

I am advised:

(1) Yes.

(2) Yes.

(a) 

(i) The aircraft was purchased with US registration. The process of conversion to Australian registration is underway and is now in the final stages to achieve the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) ‘VH’ registration.

(ii) A US registered (N) aircraft cannot be held in non US ownership hence the beneficial ownership through the Delaware Trust Co as trustees.

(iii) The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) registration is correct.

(3)

(a) The process is underway to finalise the Australian (VH) registration process. Once in place, the procedural work to allow the Large Air Tanker (LAT) to perform passenger-carrying tasks will be completed.

(b) I refer to my answer to question 3 a)

(c) I refer to my answer to question 3 a)

(d) The aircraft is designed to undertake bombing operations and passenger carriage, but not to perform these tasks at the same time. Passengers will not be carried at the same time as water/suppressant bombing operations are being conducted.

(4) This approach is consistent with the process used by NSW to request assistance from the United States and Canada during the 2019/2020 fire season. Similar to Canada requesting assistance from Australia for firefighting resources, the US Forest Service made a request to Australia through the National Resource Sharing Centre (NRSC) within the Australasian Fire & Emergency Services Authority Council (AFAC), which facilitates resource sharing of firefighters, specialists and aircraft to large scale emergency events nationally and, when required, internationally.

(a) This decision has been made in consideration of an assessment of the upcoming fire season in NSW.

Question asked on 30 August 2021 (session 57-1) and published in Questions & Answers Paper No. 573
Answer received on 20 September 2021 and published in Questions & Answers Paper No. 588

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