The Albanese Government is preparing a new environmental law to create Australia's first independent national environmental protection agency - Environment Protection Australia (EPA). The Blue Mountains Conservation Society said the agency should better mitigate aircraft noise.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Annette Cam, president of the society, said that "the new EPA should regulate proposed flight path and airspace designs, such as those proposed for Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) to ensure aircraft noise levels are as low as possible".
"Existing national environmental laws do not protect nature or the health of millions of Australians by requiring effective mitigation of aircraft noise," said Ms Cam.
"Flight path designs are currently approved by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, which is also the proponent of these airspace designs. This failure to separate the proponent department from determination processes and final approval is made worse by there being no legal obligation to mitigate aircraft noise."
Ms Cam said that under the current laws, even the advice of the environment minister regarding airspace designs can be effectively ignored by the approving department, as current laws only require the minister's advice to be considered.
"The draft environmental impact statement for WSI flight paths offered no real mitigation of aircraft noise for the protection of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The proposed flight paths threaten our famous world heritage area, its natural quiet, dedicated wilderness areas, its scenic beauty and extensive indigenous cultural heritage.
The proposed flight paths threaten our famous world heritage area.
- Annette Cam
"The new national environmental laws must require that major flight path and airspace proposals ... be determined by an independent expert commission of inquiry, so that aircraft noise is mitigated to as low as possible," Ms Cam said.
