Brian Burston (NSW, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Nash, representing the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. I refer to the environmental impact statement for the proposed Badgerys Creek airport, which is now on public display. The EIS notes that the project will have a significant impact on both Aboriginal and European heritage sites. Twenty European heritage sites have been recorded at the proposed airport site and a further 22 heritage items have been recorded in the surrounding area. The EIS further notes that stage 1of the proposed development would affect 39 sites of Aboriginal heritage. Given these heritage impacts, and the fact that an airport at Badgerys Creek will add a significant level of pollution to the Sydney smog basin, is the government willing to consider relocating the proposed new airport from Sydney to Newcastle, where the infrastructure for a major international airport is already in place?

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

I thank the senator for his question and for some advance notice of it. I can inform the senator that many studies have found the Commonwealth-owned land at Badgerys Creek to be the best site to cater for the long-term aviation needs of the Sydney region, including the 2012 joint study on aviation capacity in the Sydney region, which assessed 80 sites across 18 locations, including Newcastle, for a new airport in the greater Sydney region.

The environmental impact statement for the proposed Western Sydney airport is the culmination of over 700 field investigations and 19 technical studies. It includes noise impact modelling and assessments of expected air and water quality changes as well as a health risk assessment. The EIS also sets out measures to manage and mitigate these impacts. Using the latest technology and incorporating sustainability measures, impacts can be minimised and benefits can be enhanced for the people of Western Sydney.

The EIS for the proposed Western Sydney airport considers the impacts of an airport on the heritage of the site and surrounding areas. The EIS also includes mitigation measures to manage any impacts and conserve the site's heritage values. These measures would be incorporated into the European and Aboriginal heritage management plans for the proposed airport and include measures such as further archaeological investigations, and curation and repatriation of heritage items. The EIS found that the proposed airport would result in only minor changes to air quality in the Western Sydney region. Emissions would be within relevant standards and represent an increase of just 0.1 to 0.7 per cent of total emissions in the Sydney Basin.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Burston, a supplementary question.

Brian Burston (NSW, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given the existing infrastructure already present at Newcastle Airport, and the heritage and environmental impacts at the proposed Badgerys Creek airport site, is it not the case that expanding Newcastle Airport to serve as a second point of entry to Sydney would serve as a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective option for taxpayers?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to 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.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Burston, a final supplementary question?

Brian Burston (NSW, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is it the case that selling more land at Badgerys Creek already set aside for a second Sydney airport raised revenue for the Commonwealth in the order of $20 billion?

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

I can inform the Senate that the Commonwealth owned land at Badgerys Creek has been formally declared an airport site under the Airports Act of 1996 and the government has no plans to use that site for any purpose other than as the airport.

I want to make the point that this project has been the subject of debate for decades. I think many of us who have been around for a significant period of time are well au fait with the arguments that have been going backwards and forwards. As with any major infrastructure project, it has its proponents and its detractors. We have considered all sides of the debate carefully. We are now at the point where both major parties agree on the need for a second Sydney airport, and we agree that it should be based at Badgerys Creek. The government is getting on with delivering this vital infrastructure project.