A community alliance concerned about the impacts of Western Sydney International Airport is launching a new petition campaign calling on the Federal Government to introduce stronger protections for residents affected by aircraft operations.
The Western Sydney Airport Community Impacts Alliance (WSACIA), which met on 13 June, has begun collecting signatures for a petition that it hopes to present to the Federal Parliament later this year.
The petition focuses on concerns about aircraft noise, flight paths and the absence of a legislated curfew at the new airport.
"We therefore ask the House to establish conditions on the operations of Western Sydney International Airport including a curfew, flight movement cap and protections for affected communities."
Community representatives say the petition has been carefully prepared to comply with parliamentary requirements and is intended to give residents across Western Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury regions an opportunity to have their concerns formally considered by the Federal Government.
Among the measures sought by the petition are a legislated overnight curfew between 11pm and 6am, a long-term operating plan similar to that used at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, and a legislated cap on aircraft movements. The petition also calls for a comprehensive review of flight paths across the entire Sydney Basin to ensure aircraft noise impacts are distributed fairly.
Environmental concerns also feature prominently.
The petition asks the Federal Government to prevent low-flying aircraft from operating over the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and Sydney's water catchment areas. It further seeks the establishment of a Noise Insulation and Property Acquisition program for communities significantly affected by aircraft noise, together with ongoing noise monitoring and public reporting.
The campaign comes as Western Sydney International Airport moves closer to commencing operations and communities across the Hawkesbury continue to examine the potential impacts of aircraft movements on rural villages, tourism businesses, national parks and residential areas.
Airport noise has been a recurring concern raised by Hawkesbury residents during consultation processes over recent years, particularly in relation to flight paths proposed over the Blue Mountains, Kurrajong district and other parts of the Hawkesbury.
WSACIA is now seeking volunteers and supporters to help collect signatures.
Residents wishing to assist are encouraged to print petition information sheets and signature pages and gather signatures from eligible Australian residents and citizens. Completed petition pages can be collected by arrangement through the alliance or delivered to Rosey Ravelston's Bookshop at Lawson.
The alliance plans to continue coordinating community action ahead of the petition's presentation to Parliament, which is expected to occur in November.
The link to the petition is below:
https://www.change.org/p/western-sydney-demands-an-airport-curfew?
