Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Strange things happen during election campaigns. Misrepresentation and distortion are never far away. However, I must say I was shocked during the recent election campaign by the depth of distortion and misrepresentation by the Chairman of the Sydney Airport Corporation Max Moore-Wilton in his crusade against the construction of a second airport in Sydney.

Mr Moore-Wilton is perfectly entitled to oppose a second Sydney airport. But as the head of a company that has a monopoly over the existing airport, any fair analysis would conclude that he has an enormous conflict of interest. As many people would know, until 20 December 2002 Mr Moore-Wilton was the nation's top bureaucrat—Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Months before, on 28 June 2002, the Howard government finalised the sale of the lease of the Sydney airport to Southern Cross Airports Corporation Pty Ltd for $4.2 billion.

The airport had been offered for sale by tender with conditions which were factored into the sale price. They included: an 11 pm-to-6 am curfew; a limit of 80 aircraft movements per hour; and guaranteed access to the airport for regional airlines. There was a fourth condition. If it was ever decided to build a second airport in Sydney the successful tenderer for the existing airport would have first right of refusal for its construction and operation for 30 years. I understand the condition was initially proposed to last 20 years but was increased to 30 years at the request of the buyer.

One wonders what considerations were behind that and what was the head of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet's knowledge of those considerations? If Mr Moore-Wilton was sincere in his stated view that a second Sydney airport would not be economically viable until after 2032, he would be prepared to give up that condition. History will judge Mr Moore-Wilton's sincerity on whether he does so.

Mr Moore-Wilton understood the conditions on the sale of the lease when he resigned from the Public Service and took the position as Chief Executive of the Sydney Airport Corporation just a few months after the sale. Mr Moore-Wilton now wants these conditions scrapped. Of course, that would deliver a windfall gain for the Sydney Airport Corporation. At the recent CAPA aviation industry conference in August, I spoke and reiterated Labor's support for a second Sydney airport, saying the potential sites were at Badgery's Creek and Wilton. Mr Moore-Wilton also spoke, attacking the regulations on the airport's operation and asserting that I had intervened to allow breaches of the curfew so aircraft carrying politicians could land late at night. There were no breaches; there were no planes; there were no MPs on these fictitious planes.

Mr Moore-Wilton has also attacked me as well as Joe Hockey and Scott Morrison, who also support a second Sydney airport, claiming we had a conflict of interest because we represented communities around Sydney Airport. And he has been critical of the lack of infrastructure spending around the airport when his corporation is privately run, generates significant revenue, remunerates its board handsomely, yet has not paid a single dollar in tax since the airport was privatised.

Mr Moore-Wilton also sits on the board of Infrastructure New South Wales, which is meant to provide independent advice to government. Infrastructure New South Wales has not recommended support for a second Sydney airport, although it would drive productivity and growth for Sydney, New South Wales and the nation. So Mr Moore-Wilton expects taxpayers to fund infrastructure for his privately-leased airport but is determined to privatise the profits of this monopoly.

When it comes to the need for a second Sydney airport, Mr Moore-Wilton is out of step with mainstream thought. Just about everyone in the aviation sector supports a second Sydney airport, including heads of Qantas, Virgin and other airlines; the Business Council of Australia; the Sydney Business Chamber; and the Labor Council of New South Wales. For Mr Moore-Wilton, whose company has a direct financial interest in preserving its monopoly, to be attacking members of parliament for alleged conflict of interest tests the limits of intellectual credibility.

Let me put it this way: the man who was the senior public servant when the government sold the lease becomes the CEO of the company that buys the lease and begins arguing for the removal of the regulatory measures his company disagreed to as part of the sale. This same man also wants the taxpayer to fund infrastructure around the airport despite the fact that his company pays no tax. This same man argues against there being a competitor for his company's monopoly.

Finally, he sits on the board of Infrastructure New South Wales, which does not argue in favour of this vital infrastructure project. And he accuses me and Joe Hockey and Scott Morrison of a conflict of interest. Give me a break!