Deputy Premier slams ‘rich inner-city elites’ for trying to stop flights

Deputy Premier Steven Miles has let fly at “wealthy inner-city elites”, accusing them of trying to clip Brisbane Airport’s wings by restricting flights and driving up airfares.

• Editor’s view: Miles’s own goal

Deputy Premier Steven Miles has blasted the Greens as “wealthy inner-city elites”, accusing them of trying to clip Brisbane Airport’s wings by restricting flights and driving up airfares.

In an extraordinary attack, Mr Miles said the “elites” did not want planes flying over their own homes or working people to be able to afford to fly.

His comments follow a bid by the Greens to impose a curfew and flight caps at Brisbane Airport to combat noise.

They also come as Queensland Labor faces a battle to defend its inner-city seats amid growing support for the minor party.

The Greens recorded an electoral surge at last year’s federal election to win three inner-Brisbane seats and send shockwaves through the state Labor government.

Five Queensland Labor-held seats in the inner city - three held by ministers - and two LNP seats are expected to be targeted by the Greens at next year’s state election.

Brisbane-based Greens federal MPs Elizabeth Watson-Brown, Max Chandler-Mather and Stephen Bates have championed a Bill to introduce hourly flight caps and a late night curfew at the airport for non-emergency flights.

Ms Watson-Brown has proposed a radical plan to divert planes to Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport and put passengers on high-speed trains to Brisbane.

Steven Miles has taken aim at “wealthy inner-city elites”.

The Bill - set to be debated in federal parliament next month - has been estimated to come at a cost of $3b a year to the state economy if enacted.

Mr Miles joined forces with a political foe, LNP Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, at a major aviation industry conference in Brisbane last week to slam the plan.

“Our airport is just so critical to our region’s economic prosperity and I can’t think of anything more hypocritical than the Greens political party’s campaign against the airport,” Mr Miles told a panel discussion at the CAPA (Centre For Aviation) Australia Pacific Aviation Summit.

“The blokes running this campaign are just about the most frequent travellers from Brisbane Airport to their engagements on (ABC show) Q+A and down to Canberra for the parliament.

“I’m an environmentalist, former environment minister and former conservation activist, but the Greens are not a party of the environment - they’re a party of wealthy inner-city elites.

“And what they’re saying is that planes shouldn’t fly over the homes of wealthy inner city elites, they should only fly over the homes of working people.

“And that only wealthy inner-city elites should be able to afford to fly, but working people shouldn’t be able to afford to fly.

“That’s despite the fact that it’s those wealthy inner-city elites who benefit disproportionately from the economic opportunity and prosperity that the airport delivers.”

Mr Miles quipped that he had been “asked to tone down my language on the Greens … but I don’t think I’ve achieved it”.

Mr Schrinner said the Greens’ proposal was simplistic and would drive up travel costs and concentrate aircraft noise.

He said Brisbane City Council received far more complaints about barking dogs, loud parties and noisy airconditioners than it did about airport noise.

“Offering simplistic solutions to this is not going to cut it,” he said.

“It’s a reminder that living in a large city is about managing impacts and noise.

A Jetstar plane flying over Hamilton Hill heading towards Brisbane Airport

“There are other ways to achieve that other than what’s being proposed.”

Mr Miles's office declined to comment further.

Flight Centre boss Graham “Scroo” Turner, who has been vocal on the high cost of international airfares, backed Mr Miles's comments.

“Living at Tenneriffe for many years, I agree with Miles on this,” he said.

“The aircraft noise is absolutely minimal and the restrictions proposed by the Greens will increase airfares considerably.”

But anti-aircraft-noise campaigners blasted Mr Mr Miles's comments.

The Gap resident Taryn O’Riordan said she lived 35km away in one of 226 suburbs affected by the airport noise.

“I am in no way a ‘city elite’,” she said.

“I have a flight go over our roof every few minutes, am awoken several times a night and have to send children to school bleary-eyed.”

A Senate inquiry into the federal government’s controversial decision to block extra Qatar Airways flights into Australia is due to sit in Brisbane next Tuesday.

The decision has also been blamed for helping keep international airfares sky-high, particularly out of Brisbane.

Brisbane Airport Corporation is understood to have made a submission to the inquiry.

Greens candidate for Griffith Max Chandler-Mather during a rally outside Brisbane Airport Corporation against fight noise

In response, Max Chandler-Mather questioned inner-city Labor MPs whether flight noise was “a fake issue” and if they agreed with Mr Miles’ comments.

“There are thousands of constituents in your electorates who are currently suffering under intense flight noise at all hours of the day and night, who would really appreciate it if you could have words with the Deputy Premier about why he’s out running Brisbane Airport Corporation’s propaganda for them,” he said.

“There are a few things that Qld Labor could do if they cared to listen to their constituents about flight noise... they could publicly support the community’s campaign, pick up the phone and help put pressure on their federal Labor colleagues.

“The Greens aren’t fussed about silly attacks like this, we won’t stop fighting until everyone in Brisbane can get a good night’s sleep.”

Brisbane residents rallying outside Brisbane Airport Corporation against fight noise