12 Reasons for a Night Time Curfew at Canberra Airport
  1. the ultimate capacity proposed for flights in and out of Canberra Airport is equivalent to that currently at Sydney airport. This is entirely unsuited to the characteristics of a quiet, predominantly residential regional city with 10 per cent the population of Sydney;
  2. Canberra residents should be afforded the same level of protection from night time aircraft noise as Sydney residents, which has had a night time aircraft curfew since 1963, particularly given the moves to expand Canberra Airport’s operation to effectively serve as Sydney’s second airport;
  3. allowing unrestricted 24 hour operations of large passenger and cargo aircraft over Canberra – with a plane movement every two minutes and 24 jumbo jet flights every night with no respite from the resultant noise - will have drastic impacts on the quality of life of Canberra and Queanbeyan residents. Economic development should not be at the expense of community wellbeing;
  4. there is firm evidence that exposure to aircraft noise at night has an adverse impact on health;
  5. no independent data analysis has been provided to confirm the extent of noise impact on residents from the proposed major increases in Canberra Airport’s operations. Residents have the right to be protected from sleep disruption and adverse health until such time as an independent noise impact assessment of the proposed development by Canberra Airport confirms that aircraft noise impacts are within acceptable limits;
  6. independent noise readings show Canberra residents near the airport are already experiencing unacceptably high noise levels from jet aircraft smaller than the jumbo jets and large freighters that are proposed to fly all night. Expanded aircraft operations will inevitably result in a larger aircraft noise footprint over the Canberra and Queanbeyan region - with resultant protest and calls for remedial action;
  7. there is already a groundswell of community opposition to Canberra Airport’s proposal to massively expand aircraft operations. Residents must be consulted further on the need for an airport curfew and other safeguards before these proposals are approved and set in operation;
  8. there are no proven mitigation measures available to adequately protect residents from the high level noise that will be generated from increased scale of aircraft operations proposed for Canberra Airport. Existing Noise Abatement Areas and other measures will be inadequate for the large size of aircraft and frequency of flight envisaged;
  9. the purported positive economic benefits to the ACT region of the proposed expanded Canberra Airport operations are unsubstantiated and not supported by cost benefit analysis. In contrast, the negative economic impacts of the prospect of 24 hour aircraft noise are very real. An estimated $8 billion in housing asset values of Canberra and Queanbeyan residences in the vicinity of Canberra Airport and its flight paths could diminish without the surety of adequate protection from this threat;
  10. in terms of regulatory control, Canberra Airport is a law unto itself. It inflicts its noise on NSW and ACT residents but is not subject to ACT and NSW planning requirements or laws on noise control;
  11. Canberra should not be a dumping ground for excess Sydney air traffic and night aircraft noise as a short term solution to national aviation needs. Major infrastructure requirements such as 24 hour freight centres and additional airport capacity demand strategic direction from national Governments – not private deals for private gain;
  12. action on a night curfew before allowing major increases in aircraft operations at Canberra Airport can save government and community from major problems in the future seeking remedial action on excessive aircraft noise.