NSW economy threatened without urgent action from governments

A Federal and NSW government study into Aviation capacity for the Sydney region indicates the potential damage the Australian economy could endure without action from the government.

Tourism Industry Council NSW General Manager Andrew Jefferies warms without the urgent action and agreement of the government, “billions would be lost across all industries resulting in a contraction in these economies”.

Some of the report’s key finding state Australia is set to lose $6billion in GDP by 2035, 2.3billion in NSW, by 2060, $60billion will be lost in forgone expenditure, $30billion in NSW alone.

Without additional capacity, demand will exceed capacity by 54 million passenger movements and 760,000 tonnes of freight.  Current slot restrictions at Sydney Airport mean no new flight can be allocated by 2027.

Mr Jefferies said a joint report has been put together by experts from Federal and State Government, business and tourism leaders detailing options available to government to resolve these concerns.

• Lifting the statutory movement cap of the Sydney Airport Demand Management Act 1997 from 80 to 85 movements per hour between the hours of 6am-10am and 3pm-8pm each weekday
• A commitment by the New South Wales Government to upgrade all surface links to Sydney Airport
• Whilst Canberra Airport is capable of handing some of the region’s capacity, it is not located close enough to Sydney to fulfill the role of Sydney’s second airport
• A joint strategy to identify the aviation needs of the Hunter and Central Coast regions with safeguards in place for Newcastle Airport to continue to grow and operate successfully
• With a modest investment, demand could easily be met by Low Cost Carriers for one million passengers a year at RAAF Richmond. Its future as a standalone military base is questionable and the RAAF support opening up Richmond to civil flights.
• Badgery’s Creek still considered the best option for a type 1 full service airport capable of handling international long haul flights
• Wilton seen as the next best option to reduce noise impacts due to lack of nearby industry and housing.

“This is a time for Government at all levels to display leadership.  It is so easy to take the politically easy option on Sydney Airport given that so many careers have been established on the back of anti-airport campaigns,” Mr Jefferies said.

“This report provides all the necessary data and all the relevant evidence to base a sound decision for local communities, the tourism industry and the state of Federal and New South Wales economies.”