Update #5 (16/02/2022)

Today, BFPCA was informed by the Secretariat of the Petitions Committee in the House of Representatives that a response to our petition from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development (dated 29/11/2021) was presented in the House on 14/02/2022 and has now been publicly released. You can find a copy of the response here.

Update #4 (24/11/2021)

After Terri Butler MP for Griffith and Adam Bandt MP for Melbourne and Leader of the Australian Greens already spoke last month in parliament in support of BFPCA’s federal petition, we now have received tripartisan support with the Hon Trevor Evans MP also making a statement in parliament this morning.

BFPCA look forward to seeing the community’s demands as expressed in the petition being acted on urgently.

Update #3 (27/10/2021)

The BFPCA petition was tabled in parliament last week, and we are pleased to see MPs giving speeches in support of the petition. We already posted the speech by Terri Butler MP for Griffith (see Update #2 below), and here is Adam Bandt MP for Melbourne speaking out in support of the petition and the community’s demands.

Update #2 (18/10/2021)

BFPCA Petition has been tabled in parliament today

The BFPCA petition (full text of the petition below) was considered at a recent meeting of the Petitions Committee, and certified as meeting the requirements for petitions. It was presented to the House on 18/10/2021 and has recently been referred to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Barnaby Joyce. Under the petition requirements, Ministers have 90 days from presentation in the House to respond to a petition.

Once the ministerial response from Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has been received, we will share it with you. From what staffers have told us, there was no opportunity for any of the MPs to speak at the time it was tabled, because only the Chair was able to speak then. However, MPs will need to book an available speaking slot over the next two weeks, and then they can speak in support of the petition. We urge everyone to contact their federal MP and ask them to speak in support of the BFPCA petition in the next two weeks. Contact your MP now – emails below.

Terri Butler MP, Member for Griffith, did get a speaking opportunity later that day, and spoke in support of the BFPCA petition. You can watch the video recording below. We thank Terri Butler MP for her continuing support of the community’s demands.

Update #1 (02/09/2021)

Last night at midnight 11:59 pm (AEST), BFPCA’s federal petition to the House of Representatives closed for signatures, and we are pleased to see close to 2,500 signatures being collected over the last four weeks. Discounting the COVID-19 anti-vaccination petitions, our petition has attracted the second highest number of signatures over the last four weeks of all open petitions. This is a clear indication that the issue of excessive noise pollution from Brisbane Airport’s flight paths is already a significant federal election issue.

We expect the Petitions Committee will now refer the petition to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP who will be requested to respond within 90 days. We are advised that when his response has been received, the Committee must first see it at a meeting. The Committee usually meets each week that the House meets. The Petitions Committee Chair usually presents Ministerial responses each Monday that the House meets. The response is then presented to the House by the Committee Chair, it is published on the petition webpage, and the principal petitioner is notified.

BFPCA’s letter to federal MPs

BFPCA has invited federal MPs to:

1. Issue a statement in support of BFPCA’s petition, which we will circulate to all our subscribers and supporters;
2. Write to the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP in support of the BFPCA petition calling on him to act on the petitioners’ concerns and action the petition’s twofold request;
3. Indicate to BFPCA by 15 Sep 2021 whether they are willing to present our petition to the House, and we will then make arrangements and let the Petitions Committee secretariat know.

Voters are looking for leaders who will advocate for the community’s demands for

• a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS);
• a federally legislated Sydney-style curfew;
• a total cap on flight movements, and;
• proper international best practice noise abatements.

The Petition

Petition Reason

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) launched its new parallel runway at Brisbane Airport on 12 July 2020, resulting in changes to flight paths across Brisbane with a significant negative impact on local communities. Ministerial approval of BAC’s Environmental Impact Statement was granted in 2007 under Section 160 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 as part of the new parallel runway’s Major Development Plan. The Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance has found evidence that Brisbane Airport’s Australian Noise Exposure Forecast (ANEF) data – endorsed by Airservices Australia – was flawed. This inaccurate data formed the basis of noise modelling, which misrepresented the true impact that Brisbane communities are now experiencing as a result of these flight path changes. This was exacerbated by inadequate consultation and engagement with affected communities, and a failure to reduce the negative impacts of the noise pollution on the health and wellbeing of residents. BAC’s flawed data and inadequate consultation undermines Federal approval and any social licence relied on to support the new flight path design.

Petition Request

We therefore ask the House to:

1. Amend the Air Services Act 1995 to free Airservices Australia from its regulatory capture by the aviation industry and ensure it protects the human and natural environment, community amenity and residential areas from the effects of the operation and use of aircraft.
2. Review to what extent the ministerial approval granted in 2007 relied on flawed and misleading data, with a view to revoke the approval of the current aviation airspace management plan for Brisbane Airport.

Related petitions led by friends and allies

Support Adam Bandt’s Flight Noise Bill (open) – petition calling on Labor and the Liberals to support the Brisbane Airport Curfew and Demand Management Bill 2022

Reduce airplane noise in New Farm & surrounding suburbs from the new Brisbane runway (open) – petition to Hon Trevor Evans MP, federal member for Brisbane

Reduce Brisbane’s second runway noise impact for suburbs 4171 (open) – petition to Hon Terri Butler MP, federal member for Griffith

Calling for action on aircraft noise by Terri Butler MP, federal member for Griffith (open) – Minister’s response

Petition EN1869 – Airservices Australia to prioritise reduced aircraft noise in BNE (closed), and Minister’s response

Pine Rivers Aircraft Noise Petition by Nikki Boyd MP, Queensland State Member for Pine Rivers (closed), and Minister’s response