Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Energy and Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This evening, I wish to raise the debacle that is Perth airport and the likelihood that significant and long-overdue developments will be strung out. I have raised this matter repeatedly with the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Prime Minister, the airport operators Westralia Airports Corporation, Qantas and the coalition when they were in government, and I am raising it again now.

While the draft 2009 Perth Airport Preliminary Draft Master Plan was released last week, all indications suggest the planned $1 billion overhaul could be delayed by at least five years, supposedly as a result of the credit crunch, which has ravaged Westralia Airports Corporation’s investments.

Like many Perth travellers, I have been eagerly anticipating the redevelopment of the ‘third world’ Perth airport that WAC aptly named ‘Vision for the Future’. That is it in a point; it is a mirage. The truth is that I should not have to have this debate now. If WAC had not been asleep at the wheel, major upgrades would not be in this cloud of doubt. When passenger movements and aircraft traffic were on the up-and-up a decade ago, and even five years ago, they should have had lift-off. It is no secret that the airport is shambolic. Only 64 per cent of flights leave Perth airport on time—this means that more than one third do not. The morning logjam is phenomenal, with 70 aircraft taking off between 5 am and 7 am. There are frequent traffic jams on the tarmac where passengers often have to disembark because there is little open space and few gates. The 2009 master plan extends the time frame for the major domestic and international terminal consolidation from between five and seven years to more than 10 years. To the Australian last week, WAC CEO Mr Geatches conceded there would be some issues meeting their own timeframes. He said:

Certainly, when we announced our plans we were flat strap and in the middle of a historic period of growth, and boom conditions in WA.

And when pressed for giving time frames we said we expect five to seven years.

Now there’s no doubt that this softening will cause that to slip to some degree …

Airport executives have said that they are making arrangements to move forward. However, international ratings agency Moody’s said that the time frame for merging the domestic and international terminals could expand to well beyond the planned 2013, stating:

Major capital expansion—in the absence of an improvement in market conditions in agreement with airlines—is not expected to occur as it could pressure the WAC’s credit rating.

The financial crisis is just a convenient excuse. Not only am I concerned about the delays to redevelopment but, under the circumstances, it appears that, when or if plans proceed, they could be significantly watered down. When Westralia unveiled its redevelopment plans after some sharp criticism from coalition members and former WA Premier Alan Carpenter, there were grand plans that it was to be among the best airports in the Asia-Pacific region.

Recently the West Australian newspaper reported that it could now be a C-class airport, which is minimum standard rating under the International Air Transport Association standards. Originally, it was to have 44 aerobridges; now the new terminal will have only 20 to 25 in its plans. That means passengers will continue to walk to their aircraft on the tarmac in all sorts of weather conditions.

While investment performance may be lacklustre, airports are profitable. This may be because airports like Perth are gorging on commercial property development rather than the core business of aviation services.

Perth airport is a money maker. In the financial year to June 2008, the airport recorded a profit of $84.5 million—an increase of more than 45 per cent on the previous year. Perhaps the beneficial owners and chairman David Crawford are trousering the profits rather than reinvesting them back into the airport.

I acknowledge that some improvements—in other words, Qantas $50 million terminal upgrade, baggage carousels and parking—have been made at the domestic terminal. However, these are predominantly cosmetic and have not resolved the underlying problems of capacity. There is increasing pressure on existing infrastructure and no real vigour from owners to make the necessary changes.

Both state and federal governments have committed to major investment in the surrounding road network, particularly the Tonkin and Leach highways. WAC must come to the party. Surely the profits of a 99-year lease are enough incentive to keep these things moving. The airport owners need to provide a strict time frame for the redevelopment, including key progress indicators. I will be seeking advice on WAC’s obligations under the current 99-year lease and the federal government’s ability to enforce those obligations or, alternatively, have their lease rescinded. It is now time that WAC were put on notice, and by its own admission—(Time expired)

Kerry Rea (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The electorate of Bonner, which takes in the south-east suburbs of Brisbane, is I think one of the most beautiful and biodiverse electorates that you would find amongst our three major metropolitan capital cities. It is bordered by Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River and it contains several mountains and some pristine creek catchments. But undoubtedly the jewel in the crown of that electorate is the magnificent sand island, Moreton Island. That is why members in the House will appreciate that those of us who know and love that island so dearly were devastated when we saw the first images of the massive oil spill that had occurred on 11 March. The Pacific Adventurer, off the island in the ocean at the time, lost 31 containers, causing approximately 270 tonnes of oil to leak into the ocean and wash up on the pristine beaches of Moreton Island. It was a dramatic sight to see what are usually beautiful white sands completely black and covered in oil. It was of grave concern and required an immediate but also practical and effective response.

I rise this evening to congratulate all of those who were involved in the clean-up of Moreton Island. I am happy to say that as of 11 May the beaches have been open to the public and you would not know the devastation that had occurred only a couple of short months ago. Of course, 11 March was also significant in Queensland because we were in the final days of a state election campaign. It was unfortunate that the oil spill on Moreton Island, which should have required everybody’s support, focus and attention, became a political football. There were criticisms from members of the Liberal and National parties at both the local and state level about the government’s response. It is unfortunate that when these things occur people want to score political points.

Not only did those involved in the clean-up take the time to become informed about the nature of the response; for a start, you were in cyclonic conditions and the safety of workers had to be paramount. Secondly, the oil was washing up onto the beach. If you had gone in there straightaway and removed it, inevitably you would also have been removing sand. You would have had more oil washing up on the beach and therefore more sand to be removed, and indeed the damage to the beaches would have been quite significant. It was a much more practical response to wait for all of the oil to be washed up onto the beach and then begin what was an incredible clean-up operation.

It is also a shame that when we have these political games played that it is fair cop for us as politicians to get involved in the argy-bargy. Unfortunately, it is those incredibly dedicated people who are out there trying to do their best in these situations that feel the brunt of that criticism. They take it personally. I know that. I have visited the island twice since the oil spill and on both occasions I have discussed with the workers the incredible efforts they have made. All of them to a person feel so proud of what they have achieved but hurt and disappointed because of criticisms that were made that blamed them for not cleaning up the beaches appropriately.

I want to particularly acknowledge Peter Keytes, who was the incident control officer; Adrian Haws, who ran the incident room; Jane Howard, the media officer, who obviously dealt with all of those difficult criticisms; ‘Squirrel’, a great guy out there driving trucks and looking after the contamination area; Willy, the bobcat owner; and particularly Trevor Hassard, the Manager of Tangalooma Island Resort. He had to cope with 300 men being billeted to his resort, often doubling up in rooms. They had to be fed, looked after and catered for. This was an incredible operation. You are on an island where the beaches can only be accessed by two sand roads. The men were taken over in buses on very sandy, bumpy roads every day. I commend the operation and those who were involved. (Time expired)