Mrs VALE —My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Transport and Regional Development. Has the government made any decision to proceed with building an airport at Holsworthy or is its preferred option still Badgerys Creek? Can the government guarantee the people of Hughes that the environmental impact assessment conducted into the Badgerys Creek and Holsworthy sites will be fully comprehensive on both sites? Will there be a full evaluation of the noise impact on the residential suburbs of Wattle Grove, Holsworthy, Moorebank, Hammondville and Chipping Norton?

Mr SHARP —I thank the honourable member for Hughes for her question. The honourable member for Hughes has asked whether the concerns of the people that she very ably represents in this House will be considered. As honourable members on our side of the House will know, the answer to that question is that the honourable member for Hughes will represent her constituents very effectively indeed, as she has already done so.

The government's preferred site for a second airport for Sydney is Badgerys Creek. That should never be lost in all of this. The other thing that needs to be restated, and is part of the question put by the honourable member for Hughes, is that there will be a full environmental impact study on both Badgerys Creek and Holsworthy. The study will follow the guidelines established by the Senate Select Committee on Aircraft Noise, which involves full public consultation, full industry consultation and its being a transparent process. The honourable member for Hughes is concerned to ensure that residents of her electorate will have their views considered in this process. I assure the honourable member for Hughes that that will be the case: their views will be considered and given great weight in the process of determining the environmental impact study.

I also make it quite clear that all of those views of people in that area who will be affected, not only at Holsworthy but also at Badgerys Creek, will be considered because this government is not going to engage in a process that the previous Labor government engaged in when they did an environmental impact study for the third runway for Sydney's Mascot airport. That environmental impact study did not follow guidelines such as those put forward by the Senate Select Committee on Aircraft Noise. It was not a transparent process. As a consequence of that, the people of north Sydney and the people of Sydney in general felt that the previous Labor government cheated and deceived them over the way the third runway was developed.

I can assure the honourable member for Hughes and her constituents that, firstly, Badgerys Creek is our preferred site and, secondly, the EIS process that will be undertaken will take full account of the concerns of her constituents and other constituents of members throughout the Sydney region. We are determined to make this a public, transparent process, unlike the way you did it when you were in government and you hid the truth from the people of Sydney.