60 Reasons to Protest: Reason #25 – The Aviation Industry’s Trail of Deception
The aviation industry has left a trail of deception in its wake. Over time and in various locations across Australia, the industry has repeatedly employed trickery and misleading tactics, disregarding the concerns and well-being of local communities. Disturbingly, evidence from as far back as 1988 demonstrates the persistence of these deceptive practices. We explore two notable instances of such behaviour – one in Brisbane in 1988 and another in Western Sydney in 2023 – which mirror the ongoing debacle of excessive flight path noise pollution currently plaguing Greater Brisbane.
Brisbane’s New Airport 1988
In May 1988, the Sydney Tribune newspaper exposed a series of misleading statements surrounding the construction of Brisbane’s new airport. The Department of Aviation, in its efforts to garner public support, claimed that the relocation of the airport to a bayside location would alleviate noise problems for neighbouring suburbs. The report assured residents that take-offs and landings would primarily occur over Moreton Bay, reducing the number of homes affected by noise. However, when the airport finally opened in March 1988, it became apparent that the main runway was ill-aligned for such a purpose.
Sounds familiar? – In the first 10 days alone, the Department of Aviation received more noise complaints than in the previous 15 years of the old Eagle Farm airport’s operation. It was revealed that the planning of the new airport had overlooked crucial noise tests, and subsequent tests were not conducted in populated areas surrounding the airport. In a series of monumental blunders, noise problems were merely shifted from one community to another, exacerbating the situation. The lifting of the night-time curfew further worsened matters.
Western Sydney’s Flight Paths about to be released
Fast forward to the present, and Western Sydney communities find themselves entangled in a similar web of deception. The Blue Mountains Gazette reported today (17 May 2023) on the promises made to residents regarding the publication of draft flight path designs and noise contours for the new Western Sydney Airport. Local communities were assured that these tools would provide an accurate representation of the noise impact on their surroundings. However, as we all know already, these forecast tools are flawed and misleading, leaving residents in the dark about the true extent of the airport’s noise effects.
The parallels between these incidents and our lived experience here in Brisbane are striking. The aviation industry’s repeated disregard for community concerns and its willingness to mislead and deceive highlight a disturbing pattern. The industry’s actions not only erode trust but also undermine the well-being and quality of life for countless residents.
BFPCA is a founding member of the Community Aviation Alliance Australia. CAAA is the national community-led organisation that provides a coordinated nation-wide response to shared public concerns on the failures of Australia’s regulatory framework for aircraft operations, and the associated issues and impacts these have on communities – in particular: aircraft noise pollution. CAAA brings together like-minded community advocacy organisations and individuals to tackle these issues strategically and collectively.
BFPCA is also a member of the Union Européenne Contre les Nuisances Aériennes (UECNA): European Union Against Aircraft Nuisances, the international Stay Grounded network, as well as a member of the South East Queensland Community Alliance (SEQCA).
We have compiled a map at that shows aircraft noise community action groups across Australia that we are aware of. As this map illustrates, the aviation industry’s trail of deception spans both history and the nation.
Let’s clean up aviation!
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