Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I present the Airport Development and Aviation Noise Ombudsman Bill 2006 on behalf of thousands of residents living within the electorate of Hindmarsh, including the Netley Residents Association, the Lockley South residents association, the Adelaide Airport Action Group, the West Torrens Residents Association, the Glenelg Residents Association and the Henley and Grange Residents Association. I have been campaigning and liaising with fellow residents on airport issues from within Adelaide’s western suburbs for many years. At this point in our ongoing campaign, I am grateful to the electors of Hindmarsh for entrusting me with the role of introducing our private member’s bill here in the House of Representatives. These complaints comprise all manner of concerns of residents and workers within the proximity of large metropolitan and regional airports—flight paths, noise, development, the use of airport land and curfews.

We have in Australia an ombudsman for banking and financial services, an ombudsman for insurance, an ombudsman for telecommunications and others concerned with federal operations. We also have many ombudsmen operating on a state level, such as the private Energy Industry Ombudsman of South Australia. Australians now expect there to be an office, detached from both industry players and the official machinery of government, to which they can take their negative experiences and their complaints within almost any given area of activity and have them assessed fairly and impartially. It is a system that people obviously have faith in, as shown by their preparedness to engage it. So should it be with this area of federal responsibility.

Adelaide Airport is smack bang in the middle of the federal division of Hindmarsh. It is an island detached from the rest of the electorate. It is floating above and separated from the local and state government laws that apply to the rest of us. In this respect, it is separated from each and every person who lives in its vicinity and whose lives are affected by it on a daily basis—or, should I say, on an hourly basis.

Beyond the corporation which runs the airport, there are two noteworthy players within this industry: the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, and Airservices Australia. It is the federal Minister for Transport and Regional Services who guides what happens on airport land through signing off on the five-year master plan. What elements of the plan are, or are not, critically assessed in its preparation and what weight these assessments are given is up to the individual company running the airport and, ultimately, the minister. With this system, locals—including their local councillors and state political representatives—are quite powerless as the pen used to tick off a draft master plan lies in the hand of the federal minister. Residents expect more than this. If they do not like what is proposed in a neighbour’s property, they can object through their local government and also through the state planning authorities. But this is not so with developments on federal airport land. This is an inconsistency that needs to be addressed.

The other entity to which people can make complaints is Airservices Australia—complaints regarding suspected variations of flight paths, noise and curfews. In dealing with a complaint, Airservices Australia plays the role of rule maker, investigator, defendant and judge—all behind doors through which your average citizen will never pass. This concentration of roles cannot encourage confidence.

As I have said, Australians are well used to the function and utility of the office of the Ombudsman. Unfortunately, many Australians are equally used to having apparent reasons to complain about matters relating to airports. The best way I can help my constituents is to promote the introduction of a system for the resolution of complaints that the residents of Hindmarsh will find sympathetic, helpful and above reproach—most importantly, impartial and above reproach. A little fairness goes a long way, and most Australians do not have a problem with it—even Adelaide Airport Ltd do not have a problem with fairness. I was pleased to read in one of the local newspapers in Hindmarsh recently that Adelaide Airport Ltd is in fact supportive of this bill. It supports the establishment of an Airport Development and Aviation Noise Ombudsman and supports me introducing this bill to parliament.

I have written to numerous MPs from around Australia whose electorates contain, are adjacent to, or are affected by major airports, asking that they support this private member’s bill. I have subsequently spoken with as many as I have been able and will continue to lobby these and other MPs to provide our constituents with what they want—fairness, impartiality and the resolution of complaints.

Bill read a first time.

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