FOR MEDIA 22 MARCH 1989
JOINT STATEMENT FROM THE PRIME MINISTER AND
THE MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS,
THE HON RALPH WILLIS
The Government has decided to develop a third runway at
Kingsford-Smith Airport ( KSA) subject to the satisfactory
completion of normal EIS processes, and to begin the development
of a second airport at Badgery's Creek.
The proposed mode of operation for the third runway would not
allow departures to the north, and would confine use of the eastwest
runway to circumstances when adverse weather conditions
preclude the use of other runways for safety reasons.
Preparation of an EIS for a medium-spaced parallel runway at KSA
will start immediately.
Local resident groups, local councils and all other interested
parties will be invited to participate fully in the EIS
processes. The EIS will consider, among other things, the noise
and social effects of the third runway and its environmental
impact on Botany Bay and surrounding areas.
The Government will move now to acquire the remainder of the land
needed for the development of Badgery's Creek. A General
Aviation facility will be constructed immediately, as a first
stage. In anticipation that the second stage will
provide for both domestic and international services, detailed
design work will commence immediately. Consultations will be
undertaken as soon as possible with the State Government on such
issues as road and rail access, provision of State utilities,
land use zoning and the need for relocation of existing
infrastructure. Traffic management measures at KSA will be implemented within the
next few months. These will include a reduction in General
Aviation traffic at KSA during peak hours and measures to
alleviate the problems caused by the common domestic airline
practice of cluster scheduling. There will be urgent
consultations on these matters with the aviation industry and the
State Government.
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These decisions have been taken following an exhaustive analysis
of the economic and aviation policy aspects of all options for
meeting Sydney's airport needs. The complexity of the issues
required the most sophisticated analysis yet undertaken of the
interaction between demand growth, airport capacity and traffic
management at Sydney. This analysis, conducted by Commonwealth
officials, reveals that the economically rational option is to
build a third runway at KSA subject to an EIS, and proceed with
the development of Badgery's Creek but not on a fast-track basis.
The decision to build a third runway will not result in an
increase in the number of people severely affected by aircraft
noise. Indeed, the Government is advised that the number of such
people will decline from 56,200 at present to about 35,500; that
is, a decline of 20,700 or 37 per cent. This will be made
possible by a combination of new generation quieter aircraft and
greatly reduced usage of the present east-west runway. There
would be a noise reduction of approximately three-quarters in the
local government areas affected by operation of the east-west
runway ( Hurstville, Kogarah, Rockdale, Botany and Randwick).
There would be an increase of one quarter in areas to the north
of the airport ( Ryde, Hunter's Hill, Lane Cove, Leichhardt,
Marrickville, Drummoyne, Sydney).
In present economic circumstances the Government cannot justify
the expenditure of more than $ 2 billion on an ambitious and early
development of a full-scale international airport at Badgery's
Creek. The development of Badgery's Creek will proceed at a pace
consistent with anticipated growth in traffic demand for the
Sydney region.
The decisions the Government has taken were not simple or easy
ones. They have been taken in the long range national interest
and, in particular, of Sydney as Australia's principal
international gateway. They represent the most decisive action
by any Government to resolve the Sydney airport issue and to
position Sydney to meet our aviation needs into the next century.