The newly-elected Blue Mountains City Council has reaffirmed its opposition to the federal government's airport at Badgerys Creek, singling out uncertainty over flight paths and the absence of a curfew.
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At the council meeting of February 22, Labor mayor Mark Greenhill doubled down in his condemnation of the Morrison government and uncertainty over the airport's flight paths. He also criticised the government's political maneuvering around the construction of the Nancy-Bird Walton Western Sydney Airport.
"The airport will start in 2026 and we still don't know where the planes will fly," said Cr Greenhill. "We were promised flight paths in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022... Now we're told we will not see the flight paths until the middle of 2023, conveniently after the state election. So the federal, council and now state elections are now unafflicted by the reality of the airport.
"I think the non-release of the flight path is political, it's about avoiding difficult elections.
"This resolution doesn't just reaffirm our opposition to an airport at Western Sydney, it focuses on the injustice of a 24/7 airport here when Sydney doesn't face that, and the injustice of not knowing where the flight paths will be until two and a half years before the planes start to fly."
Labor deputy mayor Romola Hollywood also spoke on the issue, highlighting the fact that many community members are assuming that a curfew will be put in place when in fact, she said, nothing has been announced about a curfew.
"That is absolutely not on the agenda from a policy perspective in terms of what the government is proposing," she said.
Ward 3 Independent councillor Daniel Myles also criticised the government's lack of transparency on the flight paths, and pointed out the potential impact of increased air traffic on air quality.
Ward 4 Labor councillor Nyree Fisher and Ward 1 Greens councillor Sarah Redshaw also spoke in support of the mayoral minute.
But Ward 3 Liberal councillor Roza Sage voted against the resolution, alluding to the "cynical and conspiratorial viewpoints of some councillors", and pointing out that the airport has bipartisan federal support. She also suggested that the new resolution was a waste of time and resources.
"Your objections have been previously noted, so reaffirming this misplaced objection is I think a total waste of time, resources, ratepayers' money and a futile exercise. The tens of thousands of dollars already spent fighting an airport that was always going to be built by both major parties was an exercise in political vanity."
She also defended the government over not releasing flight paths, saying that "feedback from community and industry will be considered before a final airspace and flight path is settled".
Cr Greenhill responded by pointing out that council has not spent money on fighting a campaign against the airport for 10 years.
"We have not spent money on the airport campaign since the 2012 council, when we funded an EIS response because the government invited us to submit and engaged a community awareness campaign.
"That was two terms of council ago. We spent nothing last term and propose to spend nothing this term."
When contacted by the Gazette for comment, the office of federal Liberal Senator Marise Payne referred back to a speech given in December by Paul Fletcher, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts.
In the speech Mr Fletcher said: "Flight path design is a technically complex and intricate process that takes considerable time. There are multiple factors to consider.
"The first and overriding factor is safety. This cannot be compromised in any way. But then there are such factors as minimising the kilometres travelled and fuel burned by aircraft; minimising the impact on communities around the airport, including from aircraft noise; minimising other environmental impacts, for example on the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area; and of course ensuring that the flight paths for Western Sydney Airport do not interfere with other airspace requirements in the Sydney basin."
Mr Fletcher added: "A critical element of the airspace and flight path design is extensive community consultation."
At the council meeting all councillors voted in favour of the mayoral minute, with the exceptions of Cr Sage and Ward 4 Liberal Cr Brendan Christie who voted against. Ward 1 Liberal Cr Kevin Schreiber did not attend the meeting.
