LONG-suffering residents living near Moorabbin Airport have been given an opportunity to vent their complaints about aircraft noise, but most will have missed their chance to do so.
Submissions to an inquiry into the effectiveness of Airservices Australia's (ASA) management of aircraft noise by the Federal Government's Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport closed on Friday, the day The Independent first heard of it.
Most people would not have known about the inquiry because it was not prominently advertised in the metropolitan or local media. It seems those who did know heard via word of mouth.
However, thanks to submissions lodged by Dingley Village Community Association (DVCA), Moorabbin Airport Residents Association (MARA), the City of Kingston and Central Ward councillor Rosemary West and some residents, the Senate inquiry will learn there is a loud chorus in the community attacking ASA, the government body supposed to be responsible for aircraft noise management at all Australian airports.
The Senate inquiry, which started in November, could have been prompted by the Liberal MP for Pearce (WA) Judi Moylan who has called on many occasions for community consultation by ASA, which gets 95 per cent of its funding from the aviation industry.
On October 20, Ms Moylan said: "There is an urgent need to review the way it conducts business and the operation of the act that governs it to ensure that ASA has clearly defined community consultation obligations."
She told parliament on October 29 that ASA was not complying with its requirements under legislation to consult with the community, "even when directed by a government minister".
Sitting in the middle of built-up residential and industrial areas, Moorabbin and Bankstown in Sydney are the busiest general aviation airports in Australia (flights other than military and scheduled airline flights). About 100,000 people live on Moorabbin Airport's perimeter.
In 2008, there were 350,000 movements (take-offs and landings) at Moorabbin, an increase of 13per cent on the previous year. The airport's master plan predicts flights will reach the current ceiling of 452,000 movements by 2020.
The Dingley area, with about 10,000 residents, is the worst affected by the eastern and western flight paths for trainee pilots, with an estimated 1300 planes a month. It is very busy on weekends and the annoying overhead buzz starts at 9am.
Other areas affected by regular aircraft noise are Mordialloc, Parkdale, Cheltenham, Mentone, Clayton and Heatherton.
DVCA secretary David Madill said the association had been fighting for better noise controls and safety for Moorabbin planes for years. Instead of things getting better, they were becoming worse, particularly with the increase of helicopter training.
"Older aircraft are particularly noisy. There does not seem to be any monitoring or restraints like there are for noisy cars," Dr Madill said.
Like MARA and the council, his association is represented on the Moorabbin Airport Aviation Consultative Committee along with the Moorabbin Airport Corporation (MAC), the Civil Aviation Authority and ASA.
"The consultation between those responsible for local aviation operations has been completely ineffective in dealing with the concerns of residents about noise and safety," Dr Madill said.
He said the Airservices 1800 phone number for public complaints was not staffed outside normal office hours and no action could be taken against any particularly noisy, low-flying aircraft.
MARA secretary Anna Emanuel of Mordialloc says her group's submission response to the committee's terms of reference was very critical of the role played by ASA.
While restricted by the Senate committee's ruling that accepted submissions are confidential, she did not mind saying her group found ASA, CASA and MAC to be disinterested in dealing with the community, unco-operative and dismissive when it came to managing noise levels.
She said in the 12 years since MARA had been formed there had been no action taken to reduce the problem of aircraft noise – "it's worse than ever" .
Complaints of noise to ASA were recorded only for statistical purposes and these were then sent after a defined period to the airport involved. No details were given, no comments were made and no action was taken, Ms Emanuel said.
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