Who's Who in the Sydney Airport Groups
Philip Lingard, Secretary of SACF Inc advises that the following SACF Inc media release has been sent to The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The Cooks River Valley Times, The Glebe & Inner Western Suburbs Weekly, The Inner Western Suburbs Courier, ABC TV 4 Corners, ABC TV Stateline, ABC TV News, ABC Radio News[am & pm], SBS Radio & TV Executive Producers:
SYDNEY AIRPORT COMMUNITY FORUM INC
P.O. Box 104, Summer Hill NSW 2130
Tel/Fax : (02)99538250; Tel: (02)63774534 [Chairman]
Tel/Fax : (02)97989606 [Secretary]
19 August 1999 PRESS STATEMENT
This organisation representing around thirty community groups involved in aircraft-related matters, and sharing a profound belief in a better residential environment, today called for the immediate re-opening of the site selection process for a new primary and/or replacement airport for Sydney.
The EIS on the airport for Western Sydney in both preliminary and supplemental form, together with the auditor's reports have confirmed that the Badgerys Creek proposal has major shortcomings in respect of noise, air quality, transport infrastructure and the number of people adversely affected. The aspect of airspace management and safety issues of how the proposal at Badgerys Creek would interact with Kingsford Smith Airport and Bankstown Airport has not even been addressed.
Moreover the Badgerys Creek airport site as chosen for evaluation was rated seventh on environmental grounds in the 1985 Kinhill Stearnes Draft EIS in comparison to sites outside the Sydney Basin Airshed which are now within viable striking distance by very fast train or motorway.
In these circumstances there must be a full evaluation of all viable, operational sites serviced by an existing motorway system and in the corridor of the proposed Sydney - Canberra fast rail link. The sites should include but not be limited to the following: Darkes Forest, Wilton, Mandemar and Goulburn. An investigation should also include how the creation of international status for Williamtown, Canberra and a large freight airport at Parkes could alleviate the overcrowding at KSA.
Dick Tanner, Chairman of the SYDNEY AIRPORT COMMUNITY FORUM INC [SACF Inc] said, "The government is proposing to intensify the use of KSA, intensify the use of Bankstown Airport and now wants to inflict a third airport blight on Sydney." Mr. Tanner went on to criticise the EIS process which has falsely portrayed Badgerys Creek as being satisfactory. "The situation is very similar to the famous words of Justice Mahon in investigating the Mt. Erebus plane disaster in 1980 when he said of the New Zealand Government and the bureaucracy that they had engaged in an 'orchestrated litany of lies' in their conduct during the investigation", Mr. Tanner said.
Philip Lingard, Secretary of SACF Inc said that the tendency of some politicians to paint the debate as being in the category of "a them versus us" campaign [ie. inner west v. outer west] was a despicable deception which trivialises the complex issues involved in the new primary airport decision. "There is no benefit to be gained for residents around KSA from either the Badgerys Creek or Bankstown Airport options, and the prospects for the residents of Bankstown from its regionalisation would be horrendous", Mr. Lingard said. Mr. Lingard is also secretary of North West Residents Airport Group which has members in both Grayndler and Lowe.
Graeme Harrison, Vice President for New Airport Options of SACF Inc said "The tendency of the government to focus exclusively on either in-the-basin sites or alternatives very far away distracted the necessary focus away from viable solutions which already exist without further uprooting the established major residential populations in greater Sydney." "Why cannot this be seen as a parallel opportunity along with the VFT to get the major airport traffic outside the Sydney Basin," Mr. Harrison said. Mr. Harrison is also Chairman of Randwick Airport Action Forum.
The following non-party-political community groups support the position of SACF Inc on the issue of the Badgerys Creek airport decision:
North West Residents Airport Group
Randwick Airport Action Forum
Coogee residents Against Aircraft Noise
Strathfield Residents Against Aircraft Noise
The Community Advisory Committee [Third Runway Noise Management Plan]
Save-Our-Skies [SOS]
St. Peters-Tempe-Sydenham Neighbourhood Centre
Fairfield Residents Against Aircraft Noise [FRAAN]
Blacktown Association Against Sircraft Noise [BAAAN]
Bligh Residents Against Aircraft Noise
St Clair Residents Against Airport Madness SCRAM
Hornsby Residents Against Airport Noise HRANG
Association for an Airport Located Outside the Sydney Basin [AFALOS]
Cranebrook Residents Against Airport Noise
Kensington Precinct Group
BAOTI - Bankstown Airport Out - Tourism In
Bankstown Airport Community and Environment Forum
SACF Inc now incorporates the Coalition of Airport Action Groups [CAAG]
The position of SACF Inc on the need for a new EIS on Badgerys Creek Airport and an airport outside the Sydney Basin is supported by the NSW Greens.
Contacts:
SYDNEY AIRPORT COMMUNITY FORUM INC
Dick Tanner, Chairman Tel/Fax : (02) 99538250 ; Tel: (02) 63774534
Philip Lingard, Secretary Tel/Fax : (02) 97989606
Graeme Harrison, VP-New Airports Fax/Tel:97497470; Mob: 0411 113356
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SACF Inc & NSW Greens Combined Media Release
19 August 1999 PRESS STATEMENT
SYDNEY AIRPORT COMMUNITY FORUM INC
P.O. Box 104, Summer Hill NSW 2130
Tel/Fax : (02)99538250; Tel: (02)63774534 [Chairman]
Tel/Fax : (02)97989606 [Secretary]
THE GREENS NSW
Parliamentary Office, Macquarie Street, SYDNEY NSW 2000
Tel: 92303551; Fax: 92303550
Electoral Office, 79-81 King Street, NEWTOWN NSW 2042
Tel: 95190877; Fax: 95192177
These two organisations representing all of the community groups involved in aircraft-related matters, and sharing a profound belief in a better environment, today called for the immediate re-opening of the site selection process for a new primary an/or replacement airport for Sydney.
The EIS on the airport for Western Sydney in both preliminary and supplemental form, together with the auditor's reports have confirmed that the Badgerys Creek proposal has major shortcomings in respect of noise, air quality, transport infrastructure and the number of people adversely affected. The aspect of airspace management and safety issues of how the proposal at Badgerys Creek would interact with Kingsford Smith Airport and Bankstown Airport has not even been addressed. Moreover the Badgerys Creek airport site as chosen for evaluation was rated seventh on environmental grounds in the 1985 Kinhill Stearnes Draft EIS in comparison to sites outside the Sydney Basin Airshed which are now within viable striking distance by very fast train or motorway.
In these circumstances there must be a full evaluation of all viable, operational sites serviced by an existing motorway system and in the corridor of the proposed Sydney - Canberra fast rail link. The sites should include but not be limited to the following: Darkes Forest, Wilton, Mandemar and Goulburn. An investigation should also include how the creation of international status for Williamtown, Canberra and a large freight airport at Parkes could alleviate the overcrowding at KSA.
Dick Tanner, Chairman of the SYDNEY AIRPORT COMMUNITY FORUM INC said, "The government is proposing to intensify the use of KSA, intensify the use of Bankstown Airport and now wants to inflict a third airport blight on Sydney." Mr. Tanner went on to criticise the EIS process which has falsely portrayed Badgerys Creek as being satisfactory. "The situation is very similar to the famous words of Justice Mahon in investigating the Mt. Erebus plane disaster in 1980 when he said of the New Zealand Government and the bureaucracy that they had engaged in an 'orchestrated litany of lies' in their conduct during the investigation", Mr. Tanner said.
The Greens Upper House representatives Ian Cohen and Lee Rhiannon rejected the "divide and conquer" tactics of the major parties, Ian Cohen went on to say: "Badgerys Creek has been falsely portrayed as the solution to the problems of KSA but it never was and never will be." He He said , "instead an airport at Badgerys Creek will exacerbate KSA problems and then duplicate them."
Ms. Lee Rhiannon added that "the suggested solution by the Federal Cabinet of moving regional airlines to Bankstown to create an all jet airport at KSA is totally unacceptable as it will cause further noise footprints at Bankstown and make the noise effects around KSA even worse than at present."
The Greens Upper House representative went on to say that "the Government should immediately abandon the Badgerys Creek site and begin a search for a location that would one day be a replacement for KSA and which should be outside the Sydney Basin airshed."
Contact:
SYDNEY AIRPORT COMMUNITY FORUM INC
Dick Tanner, Chairman Tel/Fax:(02)99538250 ; Tel:(02)63774534
Philip Lingard Secretary Tel/Fax:(02) 97989606
NSW GREENS
Ian Cohen MLC (02) 92302603
Lee Rhiannon MLC (02) 95190877
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No Aircraft Noise, P.O. Box 613 Petersham 2049
Ph/Fax 9564 0018
Media Release - For immediate release 20 August 1999
Like Badgerys, Bankstown would lock in Inner City Noise
"The proposal to shift regional airlines to Bankstown reveals exactly how Badgerys Airport would be used," said Marrickville No Aircraft Noise Councillors Allan Rees and Sylvia Hale.
"Either Badgerys or Bankstown would lock in the present Sydney Airport fortwenty years of expansion and ever worsening noise," they said.
"Labor and Liberal both intend to privatise the airports and allow the market to determine the mix of flights between Kingsford Smith (KSA) and the second airport," Crs Rees and Hale said.
"The industry has made it very clear they intend to maximise their investment, their operations and hence the noise at KSA," they said.
"Politicians who pretend that Badgerys will help the inner city are trying to fool people into ignoring the threat posed by privatising KSA," Crs Rees and Hale said.
Financial Review shows potential KSA land value bonanza "The real estate sale of KSA can be used to finance a replacement
airport," Crs Rees and Hale said. "The Financial Review has pointed out the immense value of the present airport site as prime inner city waterfront land with rail access."
The Financial Review said that "Whoever ends up owning Sydney's first and second airports will also potentially own the core of Sydney's next Rose Bay. All they have to do is to move the old airport to the site of the new airport, which will almost certainly be Badgerys Creek." (AFR 18 August 1999)
"Only an airport which replaces KSA will save the inner city. That won't ever happen at Badgerys - successive governments have fiddled too long while Western Sydney has grown," Crs Rees and Hale said. "We need an airport outside the city to take the next fifty years air traffic growth. Anything less will leave KSA as the roaring giant that ate our city."
For more information contact
Cr Allan Rees: 9516 4683 0417 400 892
Cr Sylvia Hale: 9569 7753 0417 230 078
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Sun Herald 22 August 1999
A baby Badgerys by 2006
By Fia Cumming
A SMALL international airport at Badgerys Creek with only one runway and catering mainly for overseas charger flights for budget tourists is set to get the go-ahead from Federal Cabinet. [Ed: Well, there may be lots of charter flights in the UK, but very few in Australia, so this is meaningless.]
The limited Badgerys development would closely follow the proposal supported by the former Labor Government in the late 1980s but never begun. [Ed: As Laurie Brereton says 'I stopped them doing a small airport at Badgerys, because it wasn't going to do anything for KSA, and I sent them [FAC] back to the drawing boards."]
It would cost about $1.5 billion plus another $500 million to $600 million for related roads, a rail line and infrastructure to link it to Sydney's centre. [Ed: IF you believed in the false logic of a 'small' airport, it is even MORE IMPORTANT to locate it near existing freeway and rail links, eg Wilton, as the infrastruture costs will otherwise become an even bigger proportion of the total project costs.]
The second airport [isn't this more appropriately called a 'third airport' if its to be smaller than Bankstown?] would be build on the 1,700ha site already bought by the Commonwealth and would be ready to start taking planes by late 2005 or 2006. [Ed: As Dick Tanner found when discussing the matter with John Anderson, the fact that DoT have already bought JUST ENOUGH land to put the runways on is the SOLE FACTOR driving DoT on its crazy push for BC fifteen years too late.]
The 3.6km runway and 10,000 sq m passenger terminal would be capable of handling up to 10 million passengers a year. [Ed: But with charters minimal, and the airlines/tourism insisting it only be 'demand' or 'market forces' driven, the actual usage of a tiny supplementary airport will be small, and the economics will never be there... or if they later ramp it up to get the economics right (as is inevitable) one million people in western Sydney will find out why Badgerys was ranked near thebottom of the list of all possible sites on environmental issues.]
But it would initially be limited to taking Sydney's overflow and would not reach capacity for at least another 10 years, during which the need for a second stage would be evaluated. [Ed: But why start with a $2b investment in a site that isn't suitable for a $3b airport, when there are good sites capable of such expansion with similar travel times to the city?]
Airlines would be tempted to Badgerys Creek, or Sydney West, by low airport charges, [Ed: How does this work when the plan is for the one private company to control both - how could government really control differential pricing of a private enterprises main product offering?] which would allow them to offer cut-price tickets to passengers who did not demand quick access to the city centre. [Ed: Take any difference in landing fees and divide by the number of passengers, Fia, and you'll find it might save you $5-10 off your plane ticket to London.] The limited Badgerys development is the favoured option of Transport Minister John Anderson and is gathering favour among other ministers. [Ed: Why couldn't a truly free press point out that John Fahey may have to relocate to a safer Liberal electorate anyway with the current proposed redrawing of Macarthur electoral boundaries by the Australian Electoral Commission, but if he does have to contend a more knife-edge seat, he'd like the majority of voters to learn AFTER he leaves office (or that electorate) what blight on the environment an international airport can be, if it's not located away from residential areas.]
It would cost only a fraction as much as the full-scale international airport rivalling Sydney Airport, which was envisaged in the environmental impact statement (EIS). [Ed: But Fia, given Fairfax has received so much material on valid alternatives and the opposing views held by the peak community body, why not, in the interests of balanced coverage, mention them?]
After a long discussion last week, Cabinet asked Mr Anderson to do further work on other options for handling increased air traffic to Sydney and report back this week. [Ed: And here is where the law comes in. The Federal government has an obligation under the EPIP Act to have an EIS addressing the comparison of any proposed project (of potential major environmental significance) it wishes to undertake. Now for three years this Cabinet/government has insisted there are no proposals and (contrary to the Act) instructed the EIS contractors to NOT investigate alternatives. So by now officially recognising there are alternatives, IT MUST UNDER THE ACT HAVE THEM ASSESSED BY AN EIS, as the existing EIS provides no data on them (save the 'do nothing' alternative which is unacceptable to all including the PM). Similarly, in light of NOW considering alternatives to BC, it is required by law that Wilton be also considered. Even Cabinet's official position that they would only consider sites within the Sydney basin happens to be useful as Wilton is within the basin, albeit outside the airshed. If Anderson doesn't want to be laughed out a la Ros Kelly, he has to insist that these major decisions not be made by the likes of real estate agents like Joe Hockey and a bunch of primarily lawyers (ie a group with no environmental scientists) without having the impact data for four million souls professionally analysed. It would also put Australia in conflict with a number of international treaties, most specifically, the ICAO guidelines for airport planning, given Australia is a member state of ICAO.]
<Sun-Herald Insert table:>
YOUR FINAL CALL FOR OPTIONS STILL UP IN THE AIR
1. FULL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT BADGERYS CREEK.
Two or three runways capable of taking jumbo jets and probably requiring acquisition of another 1,200ha of land. [Ed: Yes, by all means list the government's traditional plan as one of the alternatives.]
2. SMALLER BADGERYS AIRPORT.
Could range from small but still significant airport handling international jets to light-aircraft-only option.
3. BETTER USE OF SYDNEY.
Would include lifting restrictions limiting movements to 80 ah hour and reducing the 11pm-6am curfew.
4. EXPANDING BANKSTOWN.
Scheduled regional airlines could be moved to Bankstown with $500 million upgrade.
[Ed: RIGHT HERE, before consideration of sites located 150-300km away, is where any responsible journalist would have listed the sites like Darkes Forest and Wilton, which are the same or just 15km farther away than Badgerys, yet far lower impact on human and environmental grounds.]
5. NEWCASTLE/KOORAGANG
A private sector group wants to build an international airports handling up to 8 millino passengers a year by 2011. [Ed: I have NO problems with other proposals/sites being mentioned, but the FRAUD/MISLEADING factor is the proposing of these sites as if they were the only alternatives to BC or BC/Bankstown, especially given the prime community groups have come out strongly in favour of the alternatives that neither the government nor the media wish to address.]
6. GOULBURN.
Community would welcome an international airport. But site is 210km from Sydney.
7. HIGH SPEED TRAINS.
Various proposals but most studies say too many travellers prefer to fly. [Ed: But this only addresses the issue of trying to REPLACE jet travel with VFT. The bigger issue in airport siting is integrated mixed-mode travel, whereby an airport located on a likely VFT corridor makes FAR MORE SENSE than one located away from it, even if you don't know if/when the VFT might become operational.]
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SMH Monday, August 23, 1999
Outcry delays Badgerys talks
By ROBERT WAINWRIGHT, Transport Writer
Federal Cabinet deliberations over the proposed Badgerys Creek Airport are likely to be delayed by at least another week as community opposition to alternative proposals at Bankstown and Richmond escalates dramatically. [Ed: Yes, Robert, there is STRONG COMMUNITY OPPOSITION, but where in your article is this covered? You say there is opposition, but then only cite politicians' perspectives. The only community body you cite is the one hand-picked by coalition MPs, loaded with coalition MPs and with a coalition MP as a spokesperson. Even in third world dictatorships, the press can obtain a non-government spokesperson for the community if they try hard enough.]
And the Herald has learned that the Minister for Transport and newly-anointed Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Anderson, is under attack from within his National Party ranks about his handling of the issue.
NSW country communities are angry over suggestions that regional airlines may be transfered to Bankstown to free up Sydney Airport for bigger jets. [Ed: Well before this article you had the NAN media release (inter alia) and you COULD have noted what the 1.5m affected by more jets at KSA think of the proposal. The Nationals only poll a few percent of the 19m population, but 4m will be worse off with BC or BC/Bankstown.]
Mr Anderson's rival and MP for Page, Mr Ian Causley, said yesterday questions would be raised inside a party room meeting scheduled for tomorrow, probably before the Cabinet meeting.
Mr Causley, who lost a recent ballot to replace the leader, Mr Tim Fischer, said yesterday that Mr Anderson's credibility was at stake over the issue and a move to Bankstown was "unacceptable". "I don't know how the minister performed in Cabinet but there will certainly be questions in the party room because Badgerys Creek is one of the issues which is critical to the bush, particularly in NSW," he said. "It would be reasonable to expect that most of the National Party members in NSW
would be concerned about this. I am sure that people will be watching."
[Ed: The proper model to use for KSA/Wilton would be that of National/Dulles in Washington, where the politicians, because they themselves were the heaviest users of the downtown airport, relegated the downtown airport to regional and short-haul domestic (eg Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane) with all international, freight etc located at the green-fields outer airport. This provides fast access for voter catchment areas, yet moves the jumbos to flying over cows rather than people. In Australia, the politics is so crooked on this one, we are wanting to put the jumbos over people and the props over cows (sorry actually even that would be too sensible, so make it 'other people').]
Industry sources say the secretary to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Mr Max Moore-Wilton, has continued to press for consideration of Richmond as an alternative airport site since last Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. [Ed: The EPIP Act was designed to deal with the likes of Moore-Wilton, attempting to prevent government from shooting itself in the foot by off-the-cuff decisions on technical issues which inately require research before being made. Richmond DIDN'T stack up in the comparative sites study. But Wilton was ranked equal to Badgerys BEFORE the significant residential growth around Badgerys (with little growth around Wilton). But let's assume Max's position confirms that ALTERNATIVES DO EXIST as he could be a key witness in any Federal Court action under the EPIP Act.]
The Sydney Airport Community Forum has joined the growing outrage about Bankstown.
An emergency meeting of the forum last week demanded an audience with the Prime Minister and threatened to renew blockades of Sydney Airport if Cabinet continued to delay a decision. [Ed: NOT a community opinion, as all members are hand-picked by the Minister for Transport... but in light of this still amazing stuff to show that even stacked bodies are against the Fahey 'my retaining my seat is more important than the lives and health of 4m people' approach.]
The forum chairman and Liberal MP for Bradfield, Dr Brendan Nelson, said upgrading Bankstown would force Sydney Airport operations back to parallel runways and end noise-sharing. The east-west runway would be closed to avoid the possibility of a mid-air collision. [Ed: Yes, as I've pointed out before the big winner is the safe Labor seat of Barton near Rockdale - and if there's one thing you can't accuse this government of, it's missing an opportunity for self-interest. The safe Liberal seats of the lower North Shore and Wentworth are currently 'shielded' from jet noise by the intentional placement of propeller aircraft flightpaths over them, and that excuse would evaporate if KSA went to all-jets.] The Mayor of Bankstown, Councillor Ian Stromberg, said yesterday that 35,000 residents were already affected by noise and the council would fight any move to expand operations, which would affect roads, pollution and residents' health. [Ed: And Bankstown OUGHT to stand up to the plan. Unlike Macarthur, they don't have the third most powerful politician in the country as their MP, but they can validly argue that if the BC EIS had looked at Bankstown as an alternative, it would have deemed the site too highly residential for any new airport developments. Which all points back to Wilton! Fia Cumming may not have had all of the material on alternatives to Badgerys at her fingertips, but Robert Wainwright has ALL the material, but still can't bring himself to bare the real facts. The closest he goes is to get one coalition MP knocking the plans of another coalition MP - not really the alternative point of view under the code!]
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SMH Monday, August 23, 1999
Fast rail could link airports
Robert Wainwright
A high speed rail consortium says it can build a multi-million dollar shuttle service that could connect three Sydney airports with trains travelling at 300kilometres an hour.
Transrapid, which lost to rival company Speedrail in the bid to build the Sydney-Canberra Very Fast Train, has told the Federal Government that it is interested in a service from Badgerys Creek via Bankstown to Sydney. [Ed: But how little sense does that make. Surely we are better off locating an as-yet not commenced airport ON the planned VFT route, rather than contemplating multiple VFT routes using different technologies, one of which is the displacement of airtravel to Canberra and the other the speedy delivery of people in from an outer airport. Both tasks can be undertaken by one VFT, if the airport was located with integrated transport links in mind.]
Trains could get passengers to Kingsford Smith Airport from an airport at Badgerys Creek, if it is approved by the Government, in just 14 minutes, and in six minutes from an expanded Bankstown airport, according to Transrapid spokesman Mr Phillip Sellars. [Ed: But the BURNING QUESTION is 'And how long from Wilton to the CBD?' Because if that is less than 48 minutes (which it has to be) then this makes a mockery of selecting Badgerys with a rail travel time of 48 minutes, compared to a green-fields on-the-VFT route yet outside the airshed site.]
Mr Sellars confirmed yesterday Transrapid representatives had approached the Federal Minister for Transport, Mr Anderson, with the idea.
"We can bring all three sites closer together. It would mean maintaining Kingsford Smith Airport as the core for all airport activities.
Bankstown and Badgerys Creek would effectively become additional airport terminals. They don't have to be developed with additional infrastructure." Passengers landing at Badgerys Creek could have a transit time of just 30 minutes to be on another plane leaving from Sydney Airport. [Ed: While I'm sure he knows a lot about trains, this shows a gross misunderstanding of how multi-airport cities work. With a National/Dulles type set-up, flights to/from Canberra/Melbourne/Brisbane would land at Wilton International. So if you were flying from Melbourne to Sydney for business, you would fly to KSA, but if you were flying from Canberra to Sydney to join an international flight, you would chose a flight that went to Wilton. Only smaller commuter flights may not be replicated to Wilton, so if you flew from Dubbo, you might find the only suitable flight was to KSA, so you would need to catch a helicopter, VFT or bus from KSA to Wilton. The goal is to ensure a minimum of passengers need to travel from one airport to the other.]
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