Page 39 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Dr Foskey: Well, it is a misrepresentation.
MR STANHOPE: I was not at the meeting. I relied on advice or information that was provided to me in relation to the constitution of the meeting. I think it is relevant in the context of a discussion. Dr Foskey referred to the public meeting. The public meeting was in relation to the airport’s master plan. The issue being agitated was, of course, the implications of aircraft noise.
I find it of passing interest that the majority of people at the meeting were residents of Jerrabomberra because of the position which the Jerrabomberra Residents Association has to the development of Tralee. That was the irony that I was essentially pointing out in relation to this meeting. The ACT government has been assured repeatedly by the mayor of Queanbeyan and by the Jerrabomberra Residents Association and others that there are no issues or implications in the development of Tralee. Yet at the first meeting to discuss the international airport’s 2008 master plan, the people most affected, most interested and most concerned about aircraft noise or a possible increase in aircraft noise are the residents of Jerrabomberra—the very community which, through its residents association, continues to agitate for a private school under the flight path and the development of Tralee, which, on all accounts, is further from the airport than Jerrabomberra. It is ironic in the context of other representations that are made on this issue that it is the residents of Jerrabomberra and Queanbeyan, through attendance at that public meeting, that express greater concern about these issues.
In relation to aircraft noise and the airport and its operations, the ACT government, as with all state governments, are essentially neutered in relation to our capacity to influence airports and airport operations as a result of decisions taken by the Howard Liberal government to actually remove from state and territory planning adjudication or influence any issues in relation to the management and operation of airports. Just in the last couple of years here in the ACT, whilst there was some comfort in national capital planning authority over the airport, even that was removed two years ago in the face of objections from the ACT government.
Similarly, it was of major concern to the ACT government, as it is to every state government in Australia, that the Howard Liberal government, in its decisions in relation to management and planning for airports around Australia. also removed any requirement or capacity by state and territory governments to require airports, in relation to their growth or their master planning, to ensure that their operations, to the extent that they impacted on things like roads and traffic, actually contributed to the amelioration of those traffic issues. This is the regime which the Liberal Party put in place around Australia. It does cause significant concern to this government, as it does to other governments. In relation to the numbers which you quote, which Mr Gentleman referred to, those 99 per cent or whatever it was are from the master plan. Mr Gentleman and those that refer to those numbers were referring directly to the master plan.
MR SPEAKER: Is there a supplementary question?
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .