Environmental protection advice received on Western Sydney Airport

Minister for the Environment and Energy, the Hon Josh Frydenberg MP, has today advised me of environmental conditions to be placed on the proposed Western Sydney Airport.

Minister Frydenberg’s consideration of the draft Airport Plan and its environmental assessment detailed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was an important step in the environmental and developmental approval for the project, and was required under the Airports Act 1996.

These conditions will be included in the final Airport Plan and will bind any airport developer and operator to comply with them.

With the strict environmental conditions in place, along with the existing regulatory regime, the Environment Minister’s notice affirms that a single runway airport can go ahead without unacceptable impacts to the environment.

I will now take the necessary time to consider these conditions and appropriately reflect them in the Airport Plan.

This needs to happen before I can make a final determination of the Airport Plan, which would authorise the Stage 1 Development of the proposed Western Sydney Airport.