Steve Ciobo’s vow to back push for curfew-free Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek

AUSTRALIA’S new Tourism Minister Steve Ciobo has revealed he will go into bat for the new Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek to be curfew free.

Steve Ciobo is pushing for a curfew-free airport at Badgerys Creek. Picture: Luke Marsden.

EXCLUSIVE

AUSTRALIA’S new Tourism Minister has revealed he will go into bat for the new Western Sydney Airport to be curfew free.

Steve Ciobo said he would be standing up for the tourism industry, in the current debate about Badgerys Creek Creek and community concerns about aircraft noise.

Scheduled to be operating by the mid-2020s, Western Sydney Airport is expected to cater for around five million domestic and international travellers a year at first.

Organisations such as Virgin Australia, Qantas and the Tourism and Transport Forum have actively lobbied for the airport to operate around the clock.

A Virgin Australia spokesman said restrictions on operating hours would compromise the efficiency and productivity of the Western Sydney Airport.

TTF CEO Margy Osmond said the airport needed to be curfew-free to ensure it reached its full economic potential.

“TTF opposes placing unnecessary restrictions on the Western Sydney Airport,” said Ms Osmond.

“The Badgerys Creek site has been protected for a Western Sydney Airport with the intention that it can operate without a limiting curfew.”

Mr Ciobo said the development of Western Sydney and discussions about a curfew were “all alive at the moment” and it was important to achieve a balance.

Google Earth image showing Badgerys Creek, where the new airport will go.

“I’m Tourism Minister and my focus is making it as easy as possible for the tourism and airlines to operate effectively,” Mr Ciobo said.

“I want to be the advocate that I believe the tourism industry is looking for and needs.”

But one of the lead opponents of the new airport, Blacktown Mayor Stephen Bali, questioned why Western Sydney residents should be treated any differently to those in East Sydney.

“If you want 24-7 aircraft operations in Sydney, why can’t it be 24-7 in Mascot (Kingsford Smith)?” said Councillor Bali.

“What’s fair for eastern Sydney should be fair for western Sydney.”

He said studies had already shown that significant areas of western Sydney would be “hit by 80 decibels” of aircraft noise once the airport became operational.

“There are tens of thousands of houses along that corridor and noise insulation hasn’t even been discussed,” said Cr Bali.

“The Tourism Minister needs to worry about a lot more than bringing in more tourists who might generate a few more coffee sales.”

Ms Osmond said now was not the time to be playing “political games with the economic case for the Western Sydney Airport”.

“If we allow partisan politics to dictate the operation of the airport, we will end up with a third-class piece of infrastructure that will fail to deliver the jobs and economic activity we need in Western Sydney to make a lasting difference to the success of our city as a whole,” she said.

“We need to have a mature and considered discussion about how airports operate and the distinct difference between day and night operations that should put the community at ease about this issue.”