Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the last year I've been inundated with messages from people right across my community who are at their wits' end with the volume of air traffic over their homes in the densely populated suburbs in and around Hunters Hill, Boronia Park and Lane Cove. These people report relentless air traffic only minutes apart between 5.50 am and 11 pm; incessant aircraft noise that makes it difficult to work from home, disturbs sleep and diminishes enjoyment of outdoor recreation; difficulty hearing themselves in conversation, hearing their television or hearing phone calls; and being exhausted and debilitated.

Many have been trying to raise their concerns with Airservices Australia and the Sydney airport authority for some time, yet their appeals for relief have gone ignored and unheeded. This is despite the fact that for many years now we have had an overarching air traffic framework in place that is supposed to ensure no one community in the Sydney Basin is left carrying a disproportionate share of this burden. In the words of one person: 'I've been keeping a record of the noise levels and quite often they exceed 70 decibels. On a busy day, incoming flights can be every two minutes, so the whining and thumping is almost continuous. Under medical instructions I'm supposed to sit outside every day, but this has become anything but a pleasant experience.'

We all know Sydney's airports are the busiest in our country, and many of us value the ease with which we're able to access them. The aircraft noise generated by these airports, however, is meant to be shared in accordance with a scientifically devised noise-sharing protocol that dictates the use of different flight paths at various times over the course of the day. The negative impacts to the health and wellbeing of those that live directly under a flight path from prolonged exposure to incessant aircraft noise is well known. As such, the principle of noise sharing is one we should uphold. I was surprised to learn that aircraft noise at Sydney airport is not being shared as it should be. Instead, my community is bearing more than double the amount of air traffic and related noise than the agreed noise-sharing plan dictates. No wonder people are at their wits' end.

As someone who represents an electorate under the flight path, I hold a seat on the Sydney Airport Community Forum. This position enables me to elevate my community's concerns directly with those empowered to make a difference. That's exactly what my team and I are currently doing. But I stand here today to bring the government's attention to this issue and to urge the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government to commission an urgent independent review into the management of aircraft noise at Sydney airport. My long-suffering community deserves nothing less.