RELEASE OF FLIGHT PATHS
I welcome the release of the preliminary flight paths for the new Western Sydney International (WSI) airport at Badgerys Creek with detailed information and transparency.
However, a number of the flight paths impact the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury.
These are not the same flight paths that were included in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of 2015, which had every incoming flight pass over Blaxland.
While some people may feel relief, others will be surprised and concerned to see their area impacted.
Since coming to Government, I have advocated for greater transparency and better consultation than has occurred over the last decade.
In the past year, I have secured baseline noise monitoring, ongoing and accessible community consultation and now the release of an online interactive tool that shows proposed flight paths and potential noise impacts.
In releasing these flight paths, I have demanded that accurate and detailed information be available to us all. I have successfully argued that we need to have time to fully understand the flight paths before being asked to respond to an Environment Impact Statement (EIS).
I encourage everyone in the Mountains and Hawkesbury to access the information at www.wsiflightpaths.gov.au
Anyone who does not have internet access should contact my office so we can distribute the hard copy information I expect to be available from the Department of Infrastructure shortly.
As we digest the impact of the preliminary flight paths, I know people will feel angry. I know people will be upset. I also know we need to work together as a community to have effective input into this process.
Since 2014, when the then Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced WSI as a 24/7 airport, I have been relentless in working alongside many members of the community to highlight the potential impacts.
I don't intend to stop doing that, and over the coming weeks and months, prior to the release of the EIS, I will be seeking detailed feedback from constituents on these flight paths.
