A spokesman for federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday said that the police and the airport would work with Government officials to determine whether a breach did occur.

If one was proven, penalties ranged from the retraining of security staff to a maximum $220,000 fine to the contracted company, SNP Security, and the revoking of the organisation’s screening licence.

The spokesman said the outcome would depend on the severity of the breach and the company’s history of compliance with regulations.

Member for Farrer Sussan Ley was travelling yesterday but told The Border Mail via email she was concerned by courier Trevor Rhodes’ experience and the wider security discrepancies it highlighted between regional and metropolitan airports.

Ms Ley said she planned to discuss the issue with Mr Albanese.

A pending white paper on the aviation industry is expected to include an overview of airport security across Australia.

Mr Albanese’s spokesman could not confirm a specific date for its delivery except to say that the white paper would be handed down before the end of the year.

“Absolutely every aspect of the aviation industry will be examined in the white paper, including security at regional airports,” he said.

The spokesman said the current system was based on a cost-benefit analysis that weighed the risk of an incident occurring at a regional airport against the increased cost passed on to passengers for any boosted security.

Aviation green paper submissions closed on February 27.

More than 230 submissions were received from industry stakeholders, government groups, community organisations and members of the public.

An Albury Council spokeswoman said the city was included in workshops held by the Australian Airports Association ahead of the preparation of its submission.