Mr GIBSON (12.39 p.m.) —People in Australia who live in urban communities such as major metropolitan cities have come to understand that life in an urban environment does involve a number of problems and a number of issues, and the issue that I wish to talk about this afternoon is the question of noise. I represent a seat in urban Brisbane, in the southern suburbs, and my constituents suffer from a number of noise problems, which they have come to understand are part and parcel of living in a major city. We are, unfortunately, besieged on a regular basis by traffic noise from road vehicles, and by railway noise because of movement of freight and passenger trains. Last, but by no means least, a considerable amount of noise is generated by the movement of aircraft, both in landings and in take-offs, and it is this particular element that I wish to address in my remarks today.

  My electorate is in the unenviable position of having an airport within its boundaries, Archerfield airport, a secondary airport in Brisbane which is mainly used for commuter traffic. It is also in the flight path of most of the planes arriving and departing from Brisbane airport. Because of that, the constituents in most of the suburbs of my electorate experience unsatisfactory levels of aircraft noise from time to time. Most of them probably moved in after the establishment of Archerfield airport, so one might say they have no-one to blame but themselves if they are prepared to move into suburbs which come close to Archerfield airport, since it was there first.

  However, when they moved into the environs of Archerfield airport, there was a curfew on Archerfield and planes were prevented from departing after 11 p.m. and did not start again until 6 a.m. the next day. That curfew has now been removed and there is heavy traffic in the very early hours of the morning, at about 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. in particular, which is commuter traffic bringing materials and business papers from provincial cities of Queensland through Brisbane to Sydney. The residents of Oxley have suffered, I believe, unnecessary and undue hardship because of the level of aircraft noise that is generated by the fact that Archerfield airport is now an open airport.

  I understand the needs of the business community to have maximum use of that airport and the greater efficiencies that that entails for aviation and for transportation, but it is a problem for the living standards and the quality of life for the residents of my electorate in the suburbs that border Archerfield airport. I think it is an issue that we need to be considering.

  The major issue that I wish to talk about this afternoon, however, is air traffic movements from Brisbane airport and a proposal that has been included in the original development plans for Brisbane airport which the Civil Aviation Authority and the Federal Airports Corporation appear to be still committed to. The new Brisbane airport was opened in 1988. Since that time it has been a major cause of concern to the residents on the south side of Brisbane because, once Brisbane Airport opened, air traffic changed its direction and movements over Brisbane. Prior to the opening in 1988, most of the air traffic moved over Moreton Bay to land at Eagle Farm. Now most of the air traffic movements are over the southern suburbs of Brisbane, so that the residents of my electorate of Moreton and that of my neighbouring colleague, the honourable member for Griffith (Mr Humphreys), have suffered an enormous increase in aircraft noise due to the new airport. When it was first being planned we were told that Brisbane airport would involve most aircraft flying over the bay, but that has not come to pass, mainly because of the orientation of the major runway.

  In September 1991 I made a speech in this House concerning the need for the development of a cross-runway. There is already a cross-runway in the Brisbane airport but it is only a short runway of 1,400 metres and not large enough for large aircraft. Therefore, all of the large aircraft, the major passenger aircraft and particularly the 747s, have to land on the main runway, the 01/19 runway, which entails flying over the southern suburbs of Brisbane. In that speech in September 1991 I made a strong plea for the extension of the existing cross-runway. I repeat that plea today. I believe it is very important that that cross-runway be developed, not just for the alleviation of noise but also to reduce the safety concerns that we have with regard to the existing 01/19 runway.

  The problem with Brisbane airport is that the cross-winds that flow across it create some enormous safety risks from time to time on the 01/19 runway, and we have evidence that such risks have occurred in the past on a number of occasions. The major prevailing wind across Brisbane airport is from the south-east and the aircraft would be better served if they were able to land on the cross-runway rather than on the main runway, because that would be in line with the prevailing wind and would not create enormous cross-wind pressure for them.

  Recently we have seen evidence that CAA and FAC are intent on building a parallel runway to the 01/19 runway. That would increase the noise and safety problems that we suffer with Brisbane airport. I have campaigned strongly, and I will continue to do so, against the construction of a parallel runway, not only because of the impact it will have on my constituents but also because of the risks that it will create for the whole of Brisbane. It is my very firm view that we should be moving as fast as we can to take most of the passenger aircraft movements away from the built-up city area and over Moreton Bay so that there is a reduction in aircraft movements that impact on the built-up area.

  The proposal by the CAA to construct a parallel runway is something that we need to oppose strenuously. There is already an existing cross-runway that can be extended from 1,400 metres to 2,600 metres at a much lower cost to FAC and CAA than the building of a new parallel runway of 3,200 metres. I have been told by the CAA that a 2,600-metre cross-runway would not be sufficient, and yet I find that the third runway being built at Sydney airport is in fact a runway of 2,600 metres. If a length of 2,600 metres is sufficient to deal with Sydney airport's needs, I can see no reason why a similar runway would not be sufficient for Brisbane's needs.

  With the demise of the third major carrier, a number of funding opportunities now present themselves to allow the immediate upgrading of the cross-runway in Brisbane. A number of projects scheduled by the CAA for redevelopment of other airports were contingent upon there being a third major domestic carrier. Now that that is not proceeding and the development of a third major carrier in the near future seems unlikely, I believe that there are funds available to enable the cross-runway development to occur at Brisbane airport immediately. That development has importance for reducing noise impacts over the city of Brisbane and for eliminating some safety risks that I think we now have with the major use of the main runway. It would also enable Brisbane airport to cope with the increased usage that it is going to be facing over the next decade.

  The current proposal is not to build a new runway for at least another 15 years. I believe that the increase in air traffic movements over Brisbane is going to warrant some expansion in its facilities long before that. We have an ideal opportunity to utilise the savings that have been made available to us because there is not the need now to proceed with the developments proposed to take account of Compass. We can transfer those funds to the development of a new cross-runway and ensure that the people of Brisbane no longer have to suffer the major noise impacts that they do from Brisbane airport. I shall be taking these matters up with the Minister for Transport and Communications (Senator Collins), who has been a very understanding and sympathetic Minister who has tried to do what he can to help the people of Brisbane. (Time expired)