Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Planes! We need planes. Planes allow families to be connected and they transport our food, medication and much-needed supplies. Planes bring in jobs, trade and tourism, injecting money into our local, state and national economy. In my electorate of Bonner, over 1,200 people are directly employed by the Brisbane Airport. That means the people of Bonner make up around 7.5 per cent of the Brisbane Airport workforce, and one in 70 jobs in Queensland is enabled due to the Brisbane Airport.

From these points alone, it cannot be disputed that we need planes to keep our economy and lives going. But that does not mean that we should compromise our quality of life for people who live in and have moved into areas where flight paths did not exist, especially if other flight path options are available. Deputy Speaker, the proposed flight path changes by Airservices Australia for an early turn option over Wynnum and the Bayside are not wanted by our local community. Talking with locals and listening to their feedback, I hear that many people have moved into Wynnum and Manly from areas like Bulimba, Morningside, Camp Hill and Balmoral to avoid living under a flight path. At the time of this speech, in fact, over 1,700 Wynnum and Bayside locals have signed my petition to stop these proposed flight changes, and I will be presenting this petition to Minister Catherine King and Airservices Australia, highlighting the community's overwhelming opposition to the early turn flight path option.

Whilst it is clear that these new flight path changes are not wanted, I also want to make it clear that caps and curfews are not an option. They simply won't fix the problem. They will just cause economic problems. Caps and curfews would increase ticket prices and increase the costs of everyday household items, putting more pressure on families during a cost-of-living crisis. Caps and curfews would mean around 30,000 hardworking Queenslanders, including people in Bonner, would lose their jobs, and the cost would be $2.8 billion by 2032, That's a massive cost, and it's just madness to allow it to happen. It would mean the number of flights, especially to regional and remote areas, would be cut which would be catastrophic for many of these struggling communities. And here is something that we don't often think about. Many passengers in planes carry life-saving medicines in the cargo section for people and children who need treatment for things like cancer. If we implement caps and curfews, we will simply be putting these lives at risk.

I will continue to fight for my community of Bonner. I've heard them loud and clear: no early-turn option over the Wynnum and Bayside areas.

See this speech in context