John Murphy (Lowe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cook, through his motion this evening, for the opportunity to discuss the issue and the history of aircraft noise arising from Sydney Airport. As you know, Mr Deputy Speaker Scott, I have been campaigning long and loud for fair aircraft noise sharing for more than a decade in this place and also at the Sydney Airport Community Forum. I am somewhat astounded, astonished and amazed that the opposition would raise this issue, in light of the Howard government’s appalling 11½-year record of failing to address the concerns of the people I represent to the north of the airport. I make the point that the Howard government did very little to get Airservices Australia to fully implement the long-term operating plan.

I accept that the member for Cook was not here in the period during which I raised issues with the former government, so I will go over some of the history. I have prosecuted the case for many years on behalf of my constituents, both here and at SACF, as I said. Through all that time, the Howard government threw sand in my eyes. I remember well asking the then Deputy Prime Minister and minister for transport, John Anderson, hundreds of questions about the failure of Airservices Australia to meet the 17 per cent target of aircraft movements to and from the north of Sydney Airport. Mr Anderson eventually refused to answer my questions and arrogantly dismissed me and my constituents with the line, ‘The LTOP has been substantially implemented.’

The arrogance of the former, Howard government on this issue does not end there. The Howard government’s indifference to my constituents was plain for all to see when it sold its soul on this issue by selling the airport to the Southern Cross consortium, which included Macquarie Bank. The government sold the airport without community consultation and without requiring the 17 per cent movement target to the north to be met. Moreover, the Howard government claimed Sydney would not need a second airport for at least 20 years and approved the master plan for Kingsford Smith airport which has allowed substantial expansion of activity at the airport.

However, I can assure my constituents that the current minister for transport, the Hon. Anthony Albanese, has already established a joint planning task force with the New South Wales government to search for an appropriate site for a second airport and that it received $8.5 million in this year’s federal budget. I am also pleased to report, as the member for Cook knows, that Minister Albanese attended the Sydney Airport Community Forum last Friday and pointed out that the most recent figures from Airservices Australia show that aircraft movements to the north of the airport are the lowest they have been since the LTOP was introduced. In addition, I am pleased to report that the minister has reaffirmed our commitment to maintaining the curfew and cap on aircraft movements, ensuring respite for noise-affected residents. Furthermore, the minister has announced that older and noisier jet aircraft will be banned from Sydney Airport from 1 September, including the noisy Boeing 727 freight plane that currently flies over thousands of Sydney homes late on weeknights. The minister has also announced the establishment of an aircraft noise ombudsman to give residents more than an automated voice recording to lodge a complaint, and to improve the dissemination of information. My local community campaigned on this very issue, and I thank the minister for listening to their call.

It is also very important to note, particularly for the member for Cook, that the Sydney Airport Community Forum will be retained, because our government recognises the importance of community consultation. These measures highlight the fact that the minister and the government are serious about the concerns of aircraft noise affected residents and are acting to minimise the impact on our community. Minister Albanese, unlike former Howard transport ministers, is making a real difference.

I am very pleased with the actions of our government to minimise aircraft noise at Sydney Airport, particularly in light of the unforeseen closure of the east-west runway announced only days after the last federal election. It is timely to record at this point and to the House that before the last federal election the Howard government concealed its negotiations with Sydney Airport to close the east-west runway for the safety upgrade that the member for Cook talked about. He did not mention that first part. Due to the closure of the east-west runway, flight paths as prescribed in the LTOP were necessarily restricted. However, since the recent completion of the RESA project and the reopening of the east-west runway I have had feedback from constituents, and this improvement has been noticed and appreciated, as supported by Airservices statistics. I will, however, be campaigning to monitor closely the continued movements of flight paths over my electorate. (Time expired)

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