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Albanese demands second Sydney airport

Posted December 2, 2008 11:22:00
Updated December 2, 2008 12:58:00

Aviation activity in Sydney has tripled since the 1980s and will double over the next 20 years. (AFP: James Morgan)

• Map: Sydney 2000

The Federal Government has endorsed the construction of a second airport in Sydney, but is refusing to speculate on possible sites.

An aviation green paper to be launched today will restart the process of finding a site.

Badgery's Creek, in the city's south-west, has already been ruled out.

The Federal Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese, says a second airport must be built to address capacity constraints at the domestic and international airport terminals at Mascot, in Sydney's south.

Mr Albanese says there has been a tripling of aviation activity in Sydney since the 1980s and there will be a further doubling over the next 20 years.

He says the new facility is essential to securing Sydney's future as a global city.

"There will be a point in the future at which the capacity constraints at Sydney mean you either get rid of the curfew or the cap on movements, or you simply put up a 'Sydney's Full' sign and we see freight or passenger movements go to other cities," he said.

Possible locations

New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees has nominated Williamtown, near Newcastle, as his preferred location for a second airport servicing Sydney.

Mr Rees says it would be better to build outside of the Sydney basin.

"Were we to move to a second airport, I think Williamtown is the ideal location," he said.

"I'd like to see the Hunter region pumped up very significantly, but that has got all sorts of other ramifications and we'd have to work it through with the Federal Government."

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Hawkesbury City Council, Bart Bassett, says he does not believe it would be feasible to convert the RAAF base at Richmond.

"The issues that were of concern previously to Badgery's Creek were water and air quality," he said.

"Those two concerns are identical to the Hawkesbury, only as well as that we've actually got food production in the Hawkesbury - leafy green vegetables grown for many Sydneysiders.

"That would have a significant impact for those vegetables as well."

Mr Albanese says sites will be considered based on the potential for economic growth as well as the impact on the environment and local residents.

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