RELEASE OF FLIGHT PATHS FINAL EIS

Today, the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the airspace and flight paths design for the Western Sydney International (WSI) airport at Badgerys Creek has been published.

As with the draft EIS, it is thousands of pages and will take time for all of us to absorb and understand the changes that are incorporated into the flightpath design and the preferred operating procedures.

The next step in the EIS process is for the Minister for Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, to provide advice on whether the flight paths should be approved, and if so, what additional conditions should be applied. The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Catherine King, will consider then that advice in her decision-making on the flightpaths.

I thank the thousands of local residents and organisations across the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Nepean districts who engaged in the lengthy consultation process, participating in the information sessions and making submissions on the draft flight path EIS. While a number of significant changes have been made in response to concerns raised, the fact remains that the Final EIS confirms that several flight paths impact the region, including at night.

There is a preferred option included that directs night flights away from most of the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury, which was made public in August. Use of that route is subject to safety and weather considerations.

The online Aircraft Overflight Noise Tool has been updated to reflect the changed flight paths.

Importantly for our World Heritage Area, the Final EIS sets out proposed monitoring programs which require Airservices Australia to install a system of permanent and temporary noise monitoring at suitable locations to provide accurate data. This is something that many in the community, including myself, have called for.

The data collected by the monitoring programs when planes start flying will be crucial ahead of a review of the flightpaths that is mandated in the EIS.

Since 2014, when the then Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced WSI as a 24/7 airport, my views on this airport and flight paths haven’t changed. I have been relentless in working alongside many members of the community to highlight the potential impacts on our very unique area.

I know there will be people who feel angry and upset with the release of this Final EIS. I also know we will need to work together as a community in months and years to come as we continue to fight for more protections for our region.

Since coming to Government, I have advocated for greater transparency and better consultation than occurred under the Liberal government. In the past two years, I have secured baseline noise measuring, improved community consultation, and access to the online interactive noise tool.

I encourage everyone in the Mountains, Hawkesbury and Emu Plains to read the Final EIS at www.wsiflightpaths.gov.au

For people who do not have internet access, please contact my office so we can distribute a hard-copy summary (email [email protected] or ph 4573-8222).