Forty minutes in the dark: Defence forces didn’t know about Chinese live-fire exercises
Greens senator David Shoebridge said: “I do find it hard to understand how it takes longer to get a report from probably our closest friend through their military channels than through a Virgin pilot and civil aviation authorities.”
Labor senator Jenny McAllister, representing the government at the hearings, said: “The government has been very clear that the notification [from the Chinese Navy] fell short of expectations.
“It is our practice … to provide 24 to 48 hours notice for live-fire exercises to allow other affected parties to manage safety issues and conduct planning.
“That did not occur in this case … This does fall short of best practice.”
Johnston said Australia does not conduct live-fire exercises in the path of international flight routes or shipping lanes.
He added that firing vessels were required to notify of their activity, but that does not specify a “pre-notification period”.
Firing vehicles are also required to take active steps to ensure the safety of aircraft and other vessels in the area.
Asked about the exercises last Friday when the news broke, Albanese said: “It is the case that the notice was given [by the ships about the exercise], and when that occurs, airlines are notified and stay out of the area.”
Airservices Australia officials revealed on Monday night at Senate estimates that 49 commercial flights were forced to divert their plans because of the surprise Chinese military drills on Friday and that they first thought the Virgin pilot tip-off may have been a hoax.
A Qantas flight from Sydney to Queenstown was already in the air when it got the message to divert to avoid a live firing exercise.Credit: Matthew Absalom-Wong
Airservices Australia’s chief executive Rob Sharp told estimates his organisation only found out the Chinese were planning a live-firing exercise at 9.58am on Friday, half an hour after it began.
“It was, in fact, Virgin Australia advising that a foreign warship was broadcasting that they were conducting live firing 300 nautical miles east of our coast,” Sharp said. “That was how we first found out about the issue.”
After two weeks prowling the waters near Australia, the Chinese flotilla re-entered Australia’s exclusive economic zone in the early hours of Tuesday morning and had been observed 160 nautical miles (296 kilometres) east of Hobart.
“Australia expects all militaries operating in the region to engage transparently [and] maintain the highest standards of safety and professionalism, and we encourage all states to maintain open communication to ensure their actions support regional security and stability,” the ADF said.
Johnston told the committee the flotilla was currently 250 kilometres south of Hobart within Australia’s exclusive economic zone, travelling south-west, possibly through the Great Australian Bight.
Asked whether he believed a submarine was accompanying the ships, Johnston said he did not know but that submarines sometimes travel with naval task groups. Johnston said the ADF had been monitoring the task group’s activities since February 10, when it entered the Arafura Sea.
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