Fed: Secret plan to move regional airlines to Bankstown Labor

AAP General News (Australia)
02-16-2000
Fed: Secret plan to move regional airlines to Bankstown Labor

By Denis Peters

CANBERRA, Feb 16 AAP - All regional airlines would be forced away from Sydney airport
to suburban Bankstown under plans outlined to federal government MPs at a secret meeting
last week.

The MPs were also told of plans to lift the cap on aircraft movements at Mascot, at
least for a short time.

The meeting, held by the Sydney Airport Corporation, was kept secret even from the
federal government's Sydney Airport Community Forum (SACF), which is seeking an urgent
briefing on the proposals.

SACF chairman Brendan Nelson, a Liberal backbencher, described the plan as outrageous.

He said it was no secret the Sydney Airport Corporation and Bankstown airport wanted to
deal with increasing demand at Mascot by shifting regional planes to Bankstown.

He said the plan was totally unacceptable, called on the government to rule it out
and said he expected forum members would reject the proposal outright.

"What's particularly outrageous about the most recent proposal is, firstly, that
I, as the chairman of the SACF, was not even informed of the briefing, let alone invited
to it," Dr Nelson said.

"Secondly, the government has made it quite clear that the cap, which is in legislation
for the airport, is 80 movements an hour, that's for all planes.

"And yet what these two airport authorities are proposing is something that's not only
contrary to government policy but contrary to the law."

He said the proposal would break the federal government's promise to develop and implement
the long term operating plan for Mascot.

"It relegates people in regional Australia to the category of second-class citizens,"

Dr Nelson said.

"It means they are effectively denied access to Sydney's premier airport. What these
people are trying to do is to cram more planes into Kingsford Smith Airport, push regionals
out to Bankstown and say to the government of the day you don't have to build Badgerys
Creek," Dr Nelson told AAP.

Labor MP Anthony Albanese, the MP for the inner Sydney seat of Grayndler and a forum
member, said the Sydney Airport Corporation (SAC) was leading the push to maximise profitability
in the lead-up to privatisation.

"As to the people of country NSW, their concerns come a big second to the push from
Sydney Airport," Mr Albanese told reporters.

Removing regional airlines to Bankstown would add much time and inconvenience for commuters
wanting to get into the city or to Sydney Airport to reconnect to interstate flights.

It would also spell an end to a second Sydney airport at Badgerys Creek.

"What this says is, rather than build Badgerys Creek, the plan is to move regional
airlines to Bankstown and just to continue to place more and more pressure on Sydney Airport,"

Mr Albanese said.

He said the briefing last Friday was attended by representatives of the federal government,
senior National Party MP Garry Nehl, state shadow ministers from the coalition and a number
of National and Liberal mayors.

AAP dep/mfh/ej

KEYWORD: AIRPORT

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