Qantas Security Boss Calls For End to Plastic Knives and Forks

METAL cutlery could be back on the Qantas menu after the airline's security boss yesterday endorsed calls for plastic knives and forks to be dumped.

Appearing before the ongoing Federal Parliament inquiry into aviation security, Qantas head of security and investigations Geoff Askew said the ban on metal utensils "wasn't achieving a great outcome".

"We support legislation that permits the return of metal knives, but also prescribes length and cutting ability," Mr Askew told the committee at its one-day sitting in Sydney.

The pro-metal stance comes a week after Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone created a storm by publicly questioning the Government's ban.

"A lot of what we do (about security) is to make people feel better as opposed to actually achieving an outcome," Senator Vanstone reportedly told an Adelaide Rotary club meeting last Wednesday.

The minister also suggested a snapped plastic knife might pose a greater threat then an intact metal version -- a contention with which Mr Askew concurred yesterday.

"(Banning metal knives) perhaps does more harm than good," he said.

"In this area we have received criticism from the public and we need to manage that and give them confidence."

While the committee appeared satisfied with Qantas's cutlery position, concerns were raised about the security implications of a recent spate of sackings.

Referring to the axing of 200 managers this year, committee chairman Bob Baldwin asked Qantas to "reassure us that the positions made redundant will not impact on security".

Mr Askew pledged that while the company was "under pressure", no compromises on security had been conceded.

The 90-minute grilling inside the Prime Minister's Phillip St offices also revealed the airline had misplaced 384 airport security identification cards.

Qantas security manager Trevor Jones said all outstanding cards -- which enable the bearer access to off-limits areas within Australian airports -- had been deactivated.

Mr Jones said 24 of the cards had been stolen, with the remainder being simply "lost".

Convened in May, the 11-member committee was formed to examine a number airport security incidents during the past year.

It sits in Melbourne today.

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