Narrandera Shire Council’s Peter Dale quizzed federal MPs about the “unintended consequences” of the upgrades this week. In a statement to media, Mr Dale applauded safety and security issues being addressed by the government, but warned smaller towns might have to meet “significant ongoing operation costs of such measures”. He also added that the government take note of the Australian Aviation Association’s support for smaller regional airports such as Narrandera to meet future needs including export capabilities from a highly productive region.

With security high on the government’s agenda, The Daily Advertiser asked Wagga City Council if it would consider asking Rex to use the existing metal detector at Wagga Airport. Council commercial operations director Caroline Angel said: “Council is reviewing information from the Department of Home Affairs about the requirements of the airport security upgrades following their recent announcement about providing funding”.