The Smokescreen

Badgery's Creek had been the officially preferred second sydney airport site since the 1984 Labor government's Second Airport Site Selection EIS chose it ahead of Wilton and 8 other sites within the Sydney basin.

However, in 1989 the Labor government decided to build a Third Runway at KSA, thereby deferring major work at Badgery's Creek for 10 years (only a 1800 m general aviation runway would be constructed initially at Badgerys).

The KSA Third Runway was opened in 1994 - and created a furore amongst the vast numbers of inner city residents that became newly exposed to unrelenting waves of aircraft noise.

In May 1996, the Howard Liberal Government commenced an EIS process for a second airport site either at Badgery's Creek or Holsworthy (the site which ran last in 1984). As a result of fierce community reaction, the Holsworthy option was abandoned in July 1997.

Behind the Smokescreen

With these decoys distracting the community, Bankstown Airport was being quiety expanded from early 1996 in what looks like preparation for a much bigger role . Runways were lengthened, and construction started on earthworks where one day new freight facilities will magically appear. Bankstown's main runway is now a 3C runway (ICAO classification), when prior to 1996 it was 2C.

This has occurred quietly, without any EIS processes, and airport managers deny the extensions in spite of comprehensive evidence of it (see Aerial Photos and Airport for Sale). You could be forgiven for thinking that the Holsworthy/Badgery Ck kerfuffle is just a smokescreen designed to hide the real game being played out without any regard for environmental consequences at Bankstown and KSA.

Finance Minister John Fahey's acquisition of the control of the airport had the alarm bells ringing loudly throughout Bankstown and the areas affected by KSA, in view of some of his public statements.

Fahey Suggests Bankstown

The independent auditor's report on the EIS process was not released until the 30th January, 1998 (yes, they misled the public when they promised it would be released within 2 weeks of the Draft EIS release). It found serious flaws. John Fahey, Minister for Finance, and member for the very marginal electorate that includes the Badgerys Site, responded: Fahey said he had major reservations about the adverse effects on the community from proceeding with the development, and

Inner City Liberal Jumps Ship

This made the Liberal member for the electorate of Lowe, Paul Zammit, so nervous he made straight for the Prime Minister's office to threaten resignation. Lowe is an inner Sydney electorate where residents peace has been shattered by the new "share the noise" policy introduced at Kingsford Smith Airport. Subsequently, Mr Zammit resigned from the Liberal Party, claiming his leader was sabotaging Lowe to save his own electorate (Bennelong). Mr Zammit, standing as an Independent, then lost his seat in the following Federal Election.

In the January 1998, the Labor Party's Federal Conference did little better. It reaffirmed its support for a second airport in Sydney, while expressing confusing doubts about the merits of Badgerys Creek.

On Friday 27th February, a meeting of the Local Government Association did however come out in opposition to the Badgerys Creek proposal, and called for a site out of the Sydney Basin. Apparently, due to continued support for Badgerys Creek from some inner city councils, the vote was a close one.

On the same day, the Federal Minister for Transport was talking at a tourism industry breakfast. Under the headline "No Second Airport until 2006", the Sydney Morning Herald's Robert Wainwright reported (SMH, 28th February 1998)

Western Liberals Deserting Badgerys

A survey by Western Sydney Council's (June, 1998) indicated 13% of voters would support Pauline Hanson's One Nation. Some 26% of those affected by the airport would vote for minor parties. These results hit home, within weeks of the Queensland Liberal & National Parties being savaged by supporters swinging to Hanson in droves.

Appearing on Nine Network's Sunday program (July 12th, 1998), Mr Fahey said

Mr Fahey also linked the demise of the airport with the construction of a very fast train between Sydney and Canberra.

The very fast train proposal had been around for much more than a year. So had the offshore proposal being promoted now by Liberal Jackie Kelly, whose Lindsay electorate is literally across the road from Badgerys Creek.

Nevertheless, it was satisfying to hear echoes of what anti-airport campaigners have been saying for all these years. Especially the emphasis on out of the Sydney Basin (which still has not made it as official Labor policy either).

In a report from the Daily Telegraph, 13th July 1998, ACT Chief Minister Kate Carnell suggests that a VFT might allow Canberra airport to fulfill the second airport role. Canberra's airport was quietly upgraded to International status, in May this year. Canberra Airport Manager John Milton was quick to talk up the benefits of adding 600 meters of runways and a railway terminus to maximise his shareholder value.

The 17th July, 1998 ABC Stateline program provided a good debate on Badgery's Creeks Pros & Cons .

State Libs Dump Badgerys

By the 2nd August, 1998, the Sunday Telegraph reported:

The dilemna for Liberal voters was whether these transient outbreaks of good sense would spread to other cabinet ministers and take permanent hold. The 13th July Daily Telegraph reported that spokesman for Transport Minister Mark Vaile said the Government's position on Badgerys Creek had not changed.

Events at the August 16, 1999 cabinet meeting to decide on the Second Airport issue suggest that the good sense was just a transient illusion. Cabinet has fallen for the short-sighted and politically expedient dumping on Bankstown plans.

While the Holsworthy proposal was just plain stupid, outrage over it provided a smoke screen that has hidden the shortcomings of the Badgerys Creek options and do nothing or Bankstown expansion options.

Now that the smokescreen hiding Badgerys is lifted, will Badgerys Creek and Holsworthy opponents be satisfied to rest on their success ? Or will their great Aussie sense of a fair go see them equally angered by any threat to others within urban areas ?

Canberra offers Sydney airport solution

ABC News, Monday, 1 September 2003:

But leaving the decision to the distant future (as per TTF remarks) will probably mean that sites even more distant than Badgery's Creek and Wilton will have to be considered. In 20 years time, Sydney's urban sprawl will ensure that Wilton will be no more acceptable than Badgery's Creek is now.

The TTF dreams of expanding KSA and Bankstown. But no other city in the world (the size of Sydney or bigger) would contemplate the cross-subsidization needed to sustain an airport of 64 million passengers per year capacity within 10 km of its CBD.

Do Nothing Threats

Badgery's Creek passed the EIS tests, but failed to meet the Liberal's political agenda. There's now a great threat that the do-nothing option of expanding the existing Kingsford Smith Airport will follow.

It's very questionable whether any upgrading of Canberra airport would offload KSA sufficiently, or prevent spill-over into Bankstown and other general aviation airprots.

Expansion of KSA is likely to require transfer of large commercial jets to Bankstown Airport and other general aviation airports in the Sydney basin (see Dana Dumps on Bankstown and Bankstown's Olympic Role ). By large commercial jets, we could be talking 737's and 767 (see runway details).

The only way to get rid of the threats of ever increasing aircraft noise is to build a second airport in the right place. Lands and existing airports within the Sydney Basin are not the right place.

See survey to have your say on where you think is right. Then write to our politicians and tell them how to set it right.