Stuart Henry (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak today on the long-running saga of the proposal to develop brickworks on the Perth airport site operated by Westralian Airports Corporation. The decision made by the minister was clearly not in the best interests of the surrounding community and residents. Approval was given even though the environmental assessment report stated, ‘This proposal presents a range of challenges and uncertainties that have not been resolved.’

In my last speech, which I thought might have been my last on this matter, I proposed the establishment of a community consultative committee to provide an opportunity for both BGC and Westralian Airports Corporation to build a bridge with the surrounding community and to ensure that the monitoring of the conditions relating to the approval of this development were transparent. I met with the Minister for Transport and Regional Services and he supported the idea and wrote to Westralian Airports Corporation. I then met with Westralian Airports Corporation and BGC to outline the proposal and to suggest some local identities who would participate in this process in a constructive way.

Their collective response was very interesting. A few days later, on Saturday, 30 September, BGC moved plant onto the site. They cleared it during the AFL grand final and on the following day—a time chosen to well and truly thumb their collective noses at the surrounding community for daring to voice their opposition to this development. In light of this behaviour it was interesting to note on the Westralian Airports Corporation website this quote from the Minister for Civil Aviation, Senator Shane Partridge, at the opening of the Perth terminal in October 1962. He was somewhat prophetic when he said, ‘Airports are sometimes not very good neighbours.’

The board and the owners of the Westralian Airports Corporation should be ashamed of the way this organisation is treating its neighbours, local governments and surrounding communities with arrogance and outright contempt in spite of their many claims in the master plan to implement good neighbourhood policies. Let us look at their recent sad and sorry record with respect to their good neighbour approach: they blatantly denied that they were planning with BGC the development of a brickworks; they intended to deny the community a public consultation process by not implementing a major project plan; and they proposed to evict the West Aviat Golf Club with only 28 days notice, after 22 years of tenancy and work with their own blood, sweat and tears to develop this golf course—they were legally able to under the agreement but it is morally contemptible.

Further, numerous requests have been made to Westralian Airports Corporation to allow heavy haulage transport to use Grogan Road, an internal airport road recently constructed as an alternative to the dangerous and hazardous situation that occurs along Tonkin Highway, Hale Road and Hawtin Road in Forrestfield through a commercial and mainly residential area, putting householders at considerable risk when these contractors move their equipment. Would Westralian Airports Corporation agree to this? No. Grogan Road is only for businesses and tenants on Westralian Airports Corporation or airport land. This is a great opportunity for this corporation to live up to their good neighbour claims. The Westralian Airports Corporation is acting quite contrary its own best interests if it expects communities and local governments to cooperate with its future development plans.

Given the track record of both BGC and Westralian Airports Corporation in this matter, deception seems to be their modus operandi. Let me refer to a media release issued by Neil Kidd, property manager of Westralian Airports Corporation, allegedly on 30 September with respect to the clearing of land by BGC on that date, claiming that the initial condition for development had been met. Interestingly, the media release was emailed to my office on Wednesday, 4 October, somewhat after the event. I would suggest that the real date this media release was not 30 September. Why would I suggest this? Because on Saturday evening and Sunday I had a number of calls from media agencies about the actions of BGC in clearing this site. Surely if this was not a fabrication the journalists would have received this information and known what was going on. How can the community and neighbours of the Perth airport have confidence in its operators, the Westralian Airports Corporation, when it is hell bent on deceptive behaviour and holding the community in contempt?

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