E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC 702
MONDAY, 8 MAY 2023

SUBJECTS: Western Sydney Airport Flight Paths

JAMES VALENTINE: We’re going to have a brand-new airport by 2026. They’re expecting 10 million passengers a year, that means about 63 thousand plane movements, and if you’re in the area you probably been concerned with this for some time – how will these flights affect you, is the paths go over your place and if it does what is available? Well they’re not far off, given that the preliminary flight paths are set to be released next month.  Susan Templeman in the Federal Member for Macquarie, whose seat takes in the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury region. Susan Templeman, Good morning.

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP: Good morning, James

JAMES VALENTINE: So you’re expecting a fair bit of this flight action to go over your seat?

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP: Well from the day the first draft flight paths from the EIS was put out my community, particularly the Blue Mountains, was very concerned about the impact. So we’ve followed this incredibly closely and been frustrated that the previous government didn’t release anymore information and I think everyone is very keen to see these new proposed flight paths which I understand are different to what came out in December 2015. There's extreme concern about the effect it will have, particularly the noise, even though there have been some things built into the design that were a result of our activity all those years ago to hopefully cause it to be less impact then it was originally going to be. But we all want to see the flight paths.

JAMES VALENTINE: Yeah that’s for sure. What would be – I mean, somebody knows now don’t they? We know where the flight paths are wouldn’t we?

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP: Well, 7 years ago we were given some maps, and that indicated things like every flight was going to go over Blaxland in the lower Blue Mountains at a particular point; now that’s not happening because one of the things that I did as a candidate and that we did from opposition was to get it changed so there’s none of these so called merge points above particular parts of the suburbs in the Mountains. But then the question is well what does that mean that looks like? Another key concession we got from the previous government is night-time activity, and where there were existing residential homes, we got a commitment that the noise above those homes at night would be reduced. But it’s all very well to see those things on paper. And to see them as airspace design principles. It’s quite another to see what that looks like when the actual proposed plans come out. And that’s what we’ll see in the next month or two. And what’s really key is that there will be a noise tool for that so people can jump in and get a house-by-house picture of what’s is going to be over their place. So, this information is absolutely crucial so my community and all throughout Western Sydney can understand what the impact is and respond accordingly.

JAMES VALENTINE: So I put my address into this app, it’ll tell me that there’s a major flight path over my house, is that it? Do I just have to wear it? Is there anything available to help me?

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP: Well this is the information that will then be used to come up with the noise mitigation measures. Now we’re told that they’re under development and will be released in the second half of the year. Because what happens is the flight paths will come out with the noise tool. And I’ve argued that that needs to come out as soon as possible so people have time to absorb it and think about the implications. And then sometime after that the EIS will come out. Now the draft Environmental impact Statement will contain things like noise insulations, property acquisitions and the like. But we really need people to have as much information as possible. My community saw right from the start that this was going to have really big downsides for us, and we’re keen to get the exact details and be able to raise our concerns if we’re think that there are things that can be improved.

JAMES VALENTINE: So it may be that there will be funding available so that I can put soundproofing or double glaze or insulate or things like that?

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP: Well that was foreshadowed in the EIS that there would be. What’s not clear is just where that will happen. And can I make the point James, in the Blue Mountains we’re a really quiet place. The ambient sound is almost non existent and it was only late last year that testing was finally done to gauge that ambient sound. But we already hear flights that are 13000 feet above us, and people notice those. Now they don’t stop your conversations, no one is suggesting that, but they are noticeable because we are an exceptionally quiet place. We sleep with windows open. We have a lifestyle that lends itself to being outdoors because of the fantastic world heritage area that we’re in. So it’s hard to see how you would insulate against noise for those sorts of things.

JAMES VALENTINE: Is it a justification to say that we’ve always been quiet so we should always be quiet? I mean that’s everywhere, isn’t it? We all want it to stay – I don’t want the highway I don’t want the freeway I don’t want the big shopping centre. I mean, life goes on.

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP: Well the history of this James is that in the 90s when the first attempt to have an airport in Badgerys Creek site was stopped. Since then, a lot of people have moved to these areas assuming that there is not going to be an airport. So that is a really key lifestyle choice that we’ve made. But the key point is that we can see many of us would rather have not seen this airport go ahead, but you can’t deny reality, it is there it is being built. Now my job as the Federal MP for Macquarie is to ensure we have as many protections as we can possibly get for the community I represent.

JAMES VALENTINE: Susan Templeman thanks for joining us we’ll certainly keep a close eye on it – it’s going to be very interesting to find out where these planes are going to go. As somebody said surely they know, you can’t build an airport and not know where the planes are going to go. So it’s going to be really interesting what is released.