Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

The senator asks a very important question. The answer, though, is no. The joint study on aviation capacity in the Sydney region found that Badgerys Creek was the best site to cater for the long-term aviation needs of the Sydney region. Newcastle Airport was determined to be too far from the Sydney market to serve as a second airport and to not have the physical capacity to grow and meet long-term aviation needs. Further, Newcastle Airport is in fact an RAAF base and home to a significant aviation defence capability for Australia's defence. The airport is shared with its civilian users, but it is primarily a military airfield with civilian flights limited to eight per hour.

The Badgerys Creek site was recommended as the best site to meet Sydney's long-term aviation needs for a number of reasons, including proximity to transport links, employment opportunities and economic development for Western Sydney's growing population and because planning restrictions have prevented incompatible development nearby.