Richard Willingham July 27, 2011
Czech President refuses security check
Czech President Vaclav Klaus refuses to pass through a security checked at Parliament House.
EVERY person visiting Parliament must go through security scanners or they will be barred from entering, even if that visitor happens to be the Czech President.
Vaclav Klaus, who gained notoriety for stealing a pen while holding a press conference with Chilean president Sebastian Pinera, yesterday refused to undergo a basic security check and was not allowed into Parliament.
Mr Klaus, a prominent climate change sceptic, had addressed the National Press Club and was on his way to do an interview with the ABC's 7.30 show.
President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus. Photo: AFP
The 7.30 producer Michelle Ainsworth greeted Mr Klaus, Peter Gregory from the Institute of Public Affairs (the group that paid for the President to visit Australia), and three other Czech men at the main entrance, ushering them past school children to the security scanners.
''As soon as Mr Klaus saw the security thing, he said, 'I'm not going through there','' Ms Ainsworth said.
She asked a security guard if the Czech President would be allowed to go through without a check. She said the security guard replied: ''I don't care who he is, everyone's got to go through security.''
''I relayed it back to Mr Klaus and he said, 'If you want to do the interview, you can come back to my hotel'. He just turned around and walked out.''
The show did not take up Mr Klaus's offer. Mr Gregory declined to comment and the Czech embassy was unavailable. The secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services, Alan Thompson defended his security staff.
''All of us go through the normal metal detectors - the only exception being the Prime Minister of the day,'' Mr Thompson told The Age.
He says special arrangements for visiting heads of state to enter without security checks require ''an early notification''. President Klaus arrived with ''no notice at all''.
''If we'd had a little bit of forward notice, I'm sure we would have been able to accommodate him.''
One hundred and forty security staff provide a 24-hour, seven-day service securing Federal Parliament.
Staff are not given discretion to allow unscheduled visitors to bypass the ordinary system of checks. With
TIM LESTER
