Emma Husar (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The attention given to the Airports Amendment Bill 2016 and the reliance on putting some more consultation measures in it are admirable. We know that, from this government on the opposite side, that's absolutely what's required. After you have seen their consultation over the Western Sydney Airport, you know that they would need to strengthen those provisions in this bill. That is because there has been no consultation on Western Sydney Airport with my community.

This was evident at the very first meeting that I attended with Minister Fletcher, who couldn't even name the electorate in which the airport was actually going to be built. He sat there and argued with me: 'What on earth could a backbencher from Western Sydney tell me about her own community? What on earth would she know? She is not only a backbencher but also a woman.' After he got into an argument with me over where this airport was actually located, and he conceded that I was actually right, he then gave me maybe five or 10 more minutes to discuss the airport. That was at four o'clock on a Thursday afternoon, with about 24 hours notice that the meeting was going to take place. That was the way he treated me, regarding where this airport is actually going to be.

We then saw the consultation process, when they were coming out to my community. My community were given just six days notice—

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