Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 30-Jul-24

New data has raised concern about Australia’s ability to detect illegal maritime arrivals. US-based Leidos is required to undertake 15,000 hours of aerial surveillance each year under its Operation Sovereign Borders contract. However, the defence company’s total flight time in 2022-23 was just 12,691 hours, which is 20.7 per cent lower than the previous year. The Senate was recently told that this had fallen by a further two per cent in the first 11 months of 2023-24. The Coalition contends that addressing the decline in aerial surveillance and maritime patrols should be a priority for new Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.

CORPORATES
LEIDOS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS