Mr ALBANESE (7:25 PM) —In the year 2000, the Howard government said that it would review Sydney’s airport needs in 2005. The time has come. However, thanks to the member for Batman’s question on notice, it has been revealed that the government has breached its commitment to review Sydney’s airport needs in 2005. Indeed, the Minister for Transport and Regional Services continues to cling to his flawed master plan as an explanation for the government’s inaction on Sydney airport. The minister for transport approved the Sydney airport master plan on 22 March 2004. The plan claims that Kingsford Smith is able to cope with increased traffic over the next 20 years, yet the plan projects a 180 per cent increase in the number of aircraft movements at Sydney airport—from 225,200 movements per year in 2001-02 to 412,000 movements per year by 2023-24. Further, the next 20 years will see a tripling of passengers, from 23 million to 68 million.

The plan denies that this dramatic increase in traffic will result in an eventual removal of the curfew and movement cap. The reality is that already movements are seriously encroaching on these curfew periods. A recent Airservices Australia report indicated that the number of aircraft movements increased by nine per cent between January 2002 and January 2005. Residents in and around my electorate are suffering the bulk of this increase, along with those in the member for Lowe’s electorate. As the number of movements increase at the airport, the concentration is increased to the north. This is the most densely populated area of Sydney. The residents of Sydenham, St Peters and Marrickville are being subjected to between 13 and 18 more flights per day that exceed the 70 decibel level—that is, the level at which conversations are interrupted and watching television or listening to the radio becomes impossible.

Such a significant increase over the past three years alone highlights the undeniable falsehoods of the master plan. Claims that Sydney airport can cope alone are dishonest and misleading. I draw the House’s attention once again to the issue of Fort Street High School. The fact that kids have their education disrupted up to every three minutes by low-flying aircraft is an outrage. It should be addressed, and that school should be insulated. You do not have different hearing according to your wealth. The fact is that some schools have been insulated around the site. Taverners Hill Infants School, 200 metres down the road, has been insulated but Fort Street missed out. The government should fix it. It is playing politics with people’s futures, and young people deserve better. There must be a mandatory enforcement of the curfew and the movement cap.

International flights at KSA continue to be scheduled to land outside of the 6 am and 11 pm curfew period. These are scheduled flights. This morning a British Airways flight, BA15 from London, landed at 5.05 am. In all, 10 international flights landed this morning before 6 am. Seven flights are scheduled to breach the curfew tomorrow morning between 5 am and 6 am. Freight flights also continue to be granted dispensations to land outside of the curfew period. The use and abuse of the so-called shoulder period continues to inflict aircraft noise on communities that already suffer considerably during the non-curfew periods. Just last month I informed the House about a low-flying jet which created a vortex that lifted 100 tiles from the roof of a residence in my electorate—this is the kind of impact aircraft are having on residents in my electorate. This is a practical reality of living in Sydenham in 2005.

Instead of reviewing and addressing these issues, as previously committed, the government has instead approved an outrageous expansion of Sydney airport’s commercial facilities with no regard for the fact that $1.8 billion of extra infrastructure will be required. Twelve-storey car parks and tower blocks of shops, hotels and offices are instead the minister’s plans for the airport. The minister is ignoring the ever-increasing crisis of aircraft noise in Sydney’s inner west and is instead creating one of increased traffic and congestion on the ground. The minister has not paid a single visit to a school, a nursing home, a church or a community organisation around the airport. He has shown contempt since he became the minister—unlike, I might say, Mark Vaile and John Sharp, his predecessors, who both came to the electorate and had a look first-hand. This is a minister who has shown contempt. Whatever Max Moore-Wilton wants simply goes at Sydney airport. It is unacceptable. (Time expired)

Ms Hall —There are more questions. There are more speakers.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Lindsay)—I thank the member for Shortland for her advice. The chair is well aware of what is what. For the information of the parliamentary secretary, I misled you earlier: this debate can go on for as long as is needed.