By Melissa McIntosh, Member for Lindsay
SINCE mid-2023, we have fought hard as a community for fairer flight paths.
The Infrastructure Minister’s midnight release in June 2023 of the revised flights paths caught us all by surprise, given the drastic changes from what was originally released in 2016.
One reoccurring problem with this Labor government, is that they continue to neglect our community when making decisions about flight paths which will affect Lindsay the most.
In the initial 56 community information sessions run by the Infrastructure Department, only four occurred in Lindsay. This was a disgraceful attempt at silencing our community.
I was proud to have strongly advocated for the Parliamentary inquiry into the impact and mitigation of aircraft noise and to have held a hearing right here in Penrith.
It’s a pity the Infrastructure Minister, who visited a site in Orchard Hills that day, couldn’t drive 15 minutes up the road to hear from so many local organisations about the impacts of the changed flight paths.
Our community has been vocal about the need for meaningful consultation on Western Sydney International Airport. I will continue to fight hard to make sure our voices are heard.
We have been told numerous times that the flight paths cannot be changed or modified, to take some of the impact off our community.
However, the Albanese Labor Government has already amended them twice and made several changes to accommodate Labor electorates such as Macquarie and McMahon.
But now is not the time to give up.
As we move closer to the opening of Western Sydney International Airport, Airservices Australia are leading the discussions for flight paths and airspace changes.
I encourage you to attend one of the following community information sessions being held in Lindsay:
Luddenham – Friday 22 August (3pm to 7pm) – Luddenham Progress Hall.
Mulgoa - Wednesday 27 August (3pm to 7pm) – Mulgoa Hall.
Penrith – Monday 1 September (3:30pm to 7:30pm) – Thornton Community Centre.
St Marys – Wednesday 10 September (3pm to 7pm) – St Marys Memorial Hall.
If you have any concerns or questions about how you may be impacted, I encourage you to attend one of these sessions and give feedback to ensure we have fairer flight paths in Lindsay!
If you can’t attend one of these sessions, please share your concerns with me.
Although we have made numerous requests for the Albanese Labor Government to consider our community, it is disappointing that once again even with the process being moved to Airservices Australia, our community – the most impacted – will only receive four out of the twenty five drop in sessions and zero out of the nine community pop up sessions.
The Albanese Labor Government needs to step up and listen to Lindsay. Make sure your voice is heard by attending one of the community information sessions.
