Former transport minister Darren Chester insists it wasn't a mistake to abandon the search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 last year, as a fresh hunt gets under way.
Mr Chester said the Australian, Malaysian and Chinese governments jointly decided to suspend the initial search after agreeing the plane wasn't within the 120,000 square kilometres of ocean floor canvassed.
"I'm very comfortable with the decision we made. It was a difficult decision to make, but I think it was the right decision at the time," Mr Chester told Sky News on Tuesday.
"At the same time, though, I'm hopeful and optimistic that perhaps this new search will be successful."
Flight MH370 vanished in March 2014 with 239 people on board.
An initial search several thousand kilometres off the coast of Western Australian ran for more than two years and cost well over $200 million, roughly $60 million of which was contributed by Australia.
An American company has struck a "no find, no fee" deal with the Malaysian government to try and recover the plane, in an area Mr Chester considers its "next most probable" resting place beyond the original search boundaries.
Share
