Tue, 13 Sep 2016 - 21:00
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Transcript - Interview with Clinton Maynard, 2UE Drive

Topics: Badgerys Creek airport

CLINTON MAYNARD:

A major study conducted by the Department of Infrastructure just prior to the election has revealed widespread support for Badgerys Creek Airport across Western Sydney suburbs, despite some very fierce local campaigns against it. Now this is a good thing. We need Badgerys Creek; we need a second airport in Sydney. But given the drama over Sydney Airport Mascot for many years and people complaining about aircraft noise, I’m surprised that this is the case. I thought there would have been big chunks of Western Sydneysiders complaining about it because of the potential for aircraft noise. Paul Fletcher is the Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and joins me this afternoon. Thanks for your time, minister.

PAUL FLETCHER:

Good to be with you, Clinton.

CLINTON MAYNARD:

I’m encouraged that this is the case, because I think a concern for many people who support the airport is that you will get protest people worrying about aircraft noise.

PAUL FLETCHER:

Well look, the research done for the Government found that when people were asked would the benefits of the airport outweigh any negative impacts, a majority of people either agreed or were neutral, and only just over 10 per cent disagreed with that. And that really I think reflects the fact that people understand that Western Sydney Airport will provide a convenient option for travel for some two million people who’ll find that they’re closer to Western Sydney Airport than to Kingsford Smith.
But of course, very importantly it’s going to drive jobs and economic growth. There’ll be about 9000 jobs directly at the airport by 2030. So the airport’s scheduled to open mid-2020s. By 2030 or so there should be around 9000 direct jobs at the airport, but the airport is also going to attract a lot of economic activity. A lot of businesses that get value in being located close to an airport will be drawn into Badgerys Creek and the surrounding areas, and of course, that means jobs.
Now one of the things that is a challenge today is that many people in Western Sydney work in other parts of the Sydney Metropolitan area. Western Sydney has a jobs deficit, and so Western Sydney Airport is going to be a major driver of economic growth and jobs, and that’s going to mean that many more people will have the option of working closer to where they live, and it’s going to mean economic opportunities for businesses and industries like logistics, like tourism, like conferences, and also businesses that get value from being located close to what will be an export portal to Asia.

CLINTON MAYNARD:

Paul, on the issue of aircraft noise, has it been determined yet where flight paths are likely to pass and what suburbs could be affected?

PAUL FLETCHER:

Well, there was a draft environmental impact statement that was released last year, and that included a set of indicative flight paths. But it’s important to make the point those were only indicative for the purposes of essentially assessing whether you could safely operate a second major airport in the Sydney Basin. The specific flight path planning process will take a number of years.

CLINTON MAYNARD:

Because- well, why I say that is because while you might conduct a survey now that finds that overwhelmingly most people support it, once people are directly affected by the aircraft noise and the other things associated with an airport, that’s when the protests may begin.

PAUL FLETCHER:

Well, I think as we are able to firm up the flight paths – and as I say, that’s a process that will take a number of years – what that will also make clear is people who are not affected. But it is worth making the point that one of the reasons that the study done in the Rudd Government years came up again with Badgerys Creek as the preferred location is because the land for the airport has been set aside since the mid-1980s, and there’s been very significant restrictions on development around the airport. So there are good options for flight paths which seek to minimise the impact on homes, but also a key principle will be fairly sharing the impact so it doesn’t fall unfairly on any one community.

CLINTON MAYNARD:

Well look, you would have had to have been living under a rock for 30 years to think you could buy a house in the Eastern Creek region and not be affected - the Eastern Creek, Badgerys Creek region and not be affected by a potential airport. It’s been slated for many, many years.

PAUL FLETCHER:

Look, certainly the notion of a second Sydney airport has been under consideration for a long time. The land was first purchased in the mid-1980s. The Rudd-Gillard-Rudd Government did some preparatory work. The Abbott Government took the decision in 2014 to proceed with building Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek. That’s been very much continued and committed to by the Turnbull Government, and obviously what we need to make sure is that in terms of things like environmental impacts and the impacts on people who may be affected by aircraft movement, that those impacts are minimised, they’re mitigated, and they’re fairly shared.

CLINTON MAYNARD:

Thanks for your time today, Paul.

PAUL FLETCHER:

Thanks indeed.

CLINTON MAYNARD:

Paul Fletcher, who’s the Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure.