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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-07-01 Daily Xml
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Adelaide Airport

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:54): I rise, in the brief five minutes I have, to raise an issue which is rarely raised in this place but one that I believe will become increasingly important in the years ahead and something that has been brought to my attention in recent times by a number of people, including representatives from Walkerville city council, the Adelaide City Council, West Torrens City Council and even a representative of the federal government, as well as members of the state parliament. It is an issue that has become increasingly important, I believe, for a number of people, and it surrounds the Adelaide Airport.

You do not hear it mentioned in this place very often because the simple fact is that airports are administered, largely, at a federal level and, certainly, regulated at a federal level so, in terms of the impact that a state parliament can have on its regulation or future direction, it is limited. But it is important that we consider the social impact of the airport, not just the economic impact, although I say at the outset of my brief speech (with only four minutes remaining, I note) that the airport is regarded generally as an asset by most people in South Australia (and I would certainly concur with that) and, indeed, a source of pride, given that it is, in my view, the best presented airport in Adelaide.

It is also the fifth largest airport in Australia in terms of total passenger movements. The airport is also quite unique because of the fact that it is situated only 6 kilometres from the CBD and is bounded by residential areas to the east, south and north and, to a very small extent, the west. However, the convenience of its location does come with disadvantages. We need to address these disadvantages sooner rather than later, in my view, as they are simply not going to go away and will only get significantly worse over time.

Air traffic not only causes significant noise disturbance for residents within the flight path but also for those in the surrounding suburbs, including (and especially) the inner north-eastern suburbs, and more especially, I would say, the western suburbs, of course. This noise disturbance has become increasingly problematic for a number of residents who have raised it with me, as I said.

Statistics from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics has revealed that Adelaide Airport had 7.7 million passengers pass through its terminals in 2014, with 121,000 aircraft movements last year. By 2030, the bureau projects that the number of passengers will increase by 3.5 per cent per year to 14.1 million and the number of aircraft movements will increase by 1.7 per cent per year to approximately 147,000. The projected growth presents several issues which must be addressed now before the situation worsens and significantly impacts on all concerned.

The increased activity will put a strain on the airport's current infrastructure. The current single entry point, for example, for vehicles will have to be reconsidered, as it is already at risk of becoming a bottleneck and incapable of coping under the increased number of departures and arrivals. The increased air traffic also calls into question (for some, at least) the 11pm to 6am curfew. I would state for the record that I do not support a change in the curfew, but there is some pressure to re-examine that. As a point of interest for members, as well, it may surprise members to know that there are 2,000 air traffic movements (planes, mostly) that land inside the curfew, that is, between 11pm and 6am, so I think the word 'curfew' is probably inappropriate.

Of course, lifting the curfew to service a growing number of inbound and outbound flights will cause further pain to already frustrated residents in the flight path and the surrounding suburbs. As a consequence, these residents will experience an increase in noise disturbance from planes throughout the day and night if such a measure were to be taken, and this is simply not a workable solution, in my view.

One possible and logical solution would be to build a second runway whereby all air traffic both takes off and comes in over the ocean for landing and taking off. Numerous countries operate this way, and it presents a practical solution to the space, air traffic control and budgetary constraints compared to, say, building a new airport elsewhere, which should be considered but, obviously, would come at much greater cost. We risk future investment, tourism and failing infrastructure if a suitable solution is not found, not to mention the substantial social cost. This simple solution would also provide welcome relief for those home owners who are subject to increasing disturbance from the flight path.

It would be a forward-thinking state government that would open the conversation about suitable redevelopment now and prepare a long-term investment plan to increase travel to Adelaide, possibly even creating a hub for international flights to first land in Adelaide prior to onward domestic travel to their destination.

In light of the bureau's forecast and with the current restrictions that the airport operates under, Adelaide Airport is simply unable to sustain the amount of air traffic that is projected for the next 15 years. I urge the government to consider this situation.

Just one last point, if I may, the argument that people knew when they bought in these areas that they would be subject to these issues is largely false, because what has happened is that the amount of traffic has increased substantially in very recent times. I will have more to say on this in the future.

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