9 Feb 2010

Body scanners for Australian airports

9:29 pm on 9 February 2010

Body scanners will be introduced to Australia's international airports from next year as part of a $250 million plan to boost security.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the measures were recommended to the government in the wake of the Christmas Day terrorism attack in the United States, during which a man allegedly attempted to set off a bomb on a flight to Detroit.

The scanners will screen travellers departing from Australia, and will be introduced along with more training for security screening staff and an increase in the number of explosive detection dogs.

More than $60 million will also be spent installing cargo X-ray screening and explosive trace detection technology.