Sydney Airport v Labor's Deputy PM in Sydneyv Airport curfew fight

[Melburnian1]

I'm not a particular fan of Sydney Airport and former senior Federal bureaucrat Max Moore-Wilton, given his implacable opposition to the high speed trains that Australia so badly needs from Brisbane - Newcastle - Sydney - Canberra - Melbourne, but I'd have to say in this article from Sydney's 'Daily Telegraph' he makes some very good points against perhaps the worst Deputy Prime Minister since Dr Jim Cairns of Whitlam days in Anthony Albanese, Labor's Federal Member for Grayndler and possibly a gent in his last four weeks in that role:

No Cookies | thetelegraph.com.au

Why should the curfew be lifted in circumstances like these that allegedly occurred last Tuesday night? Totally illogical, yet on some other nights when there is one plane affected from any of the domestic operators or an international airline, dispensation to break the curfew won't be given.

 

[Mal]

Yep. Illogical. I don't trust the article... Doesn't smell right, but I agree with the general sentiment... Dispensation should be given to airlines in certain circumstances. Weather, delays at another airport, overall chaos. It needs to have exceptions (and a pilot calling in sick IMHO isn't good enough) and they need to be followed. Sydney a major airport? Pfft. Not with the capers they pull regarding curfews.

 

[Skyring]

Surely it would be easy enough to find out when those flights landed?

Albo's not high on my list of trustworthy politicians. As a cabbie, he went onto my blacklist the night he rang for Silver Service and when I turned up at the restaurant two minutes later I spotted him getting into a private car.

He's got every political trick down pat. Evading questions, waffling on for hours, playing by the letter rather than the spirit of the law - when it suits him.

I remember the last Question Time before Julia got dumped. TA declared a MPI and Albo was one of the Labor speakers against. He had an intense personal interest in the matter, but he managed to speak for his allotted time without mentioning the core issue at all, and getting in a few personal attacks in on Abbott and Turnbull.

As we now know, the question was crucial to the ALP, to the government, and the country as a whole, but you wouldn't know it from Albo!

I digress. My personal feeling is that if you live near an airport, especially a long-established airport, then you have to accept airport noise. And traffic.

The environmental and economic costs of flights forced to divert are high. I really cannot see why planes can't land from over Botany Bay after curfew. Where safe to do so, of course.

Canberra has no similar problems. Nobody builds houses under the flight path, there's no curfew, and the pollies can fly in and out whenever they please. Apart from the morning fog, of course.

The last flight of the night - at least in my cabdriving days - was the Virgin flight from the Gold Coast. It got in about eleven and there'd always be a few cabs to meet it. Not many, because Virgin passengers tend to get picked up by their local relatives parking illegally on verges and so on around the airport rather than have the expense of a cab fare. If there were only five passengers wanting a cab from that last flight, you didn't want to be car six on the rank. Sometimes Virgin - or the airlines in general - would have a rough day and the poor old passengers on that last flight at the short end of every delay and cancellation might not make it in until early morning. But they'd make it.

 

[pauly7]

Yep. Illogical. I don't trust the article... Doesn't smell right, but I agree with the general sentiment....

Yes agreed article is slightly 'off' but after all it is a News Corp rag right? Rupert's pulling all the stings he can at the moment for whatever purpose he sees fit...

 

[Simo]

We will never know the true reason behind the curfew breaking reasons.

 

[wmetz]

There should be no curfews at any Australian capital city airport. It doesn't happen other major airports around the world. And the so called curfews in fact are no more then about 3-4 hour windows. Especially in Brisbane and Sydney the airports at the time of night (early morning) could divert the few flights over the
bay (sea) flight paths.

Politicians pandering to a few well off people that complain about a little noise.

 

[UP4014]

Surely it would be easy enough to find out when those flights landed?

Albo's not high on my list of trustworthy politicians. As a cabbie, he went onto my blacklist the night he rang for Silver Service and when I turned up at the restaurant two minutes later I spotted him getting into a private car.

He's got every political trick down pat. Evading questions, waffling on for hours, playing by the letter rather than the spirit of the law - when it suits him.

A pollie who only cares only about himself, I'm not sure you've narrowed it down to a specific person on either side.

Matt

 

[Skyring]

A pollie who only cares only about himself, I'm not sure you've narrowed it down to a specific person on either side.

Yeah. I'm not complaining about the side, just the behaviour. These people are supposed to be the examples we select to represent us in the national conclave and there's not too many who act in an inspiring fashion. That chap who dangled his doodle in a glass of red, for example.

 

[Mal]

There should be no curfews at any Australian capital city airport. It doesn't happen other major airports around the world.

Really? They are in existance in other parts of the world. http://www.zurich-airport.com/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-521/

 

[harvyk]

Yes agreed article is slightly 'off' but after all it is a News Corp rag right? Rupert's pulling all the stings he can at the moment for whatever purpose he sees fit...

The daily tele is about the worst of the worst when it comes to bias right now. When the front page 'news' is 'lets vote this lot out' you can tell that you are only going to be reading unbiased and impartial news from then on in...

 

[Skyring]

The daily tele is about the worst of the worst when it comes to bias right now. When the front page 'news' is 'lets vote this lot out' you can tell that you are only going to be reading unbiased and impartial news from then on in...

They are following their market. Here in Canberra, the local - Fairfax - paper leans firmly to the left.

The Tele has always catered for the sort of folk who listen to talkback radio. Not quite my cup of tea party, to be honest. About the only time I read it is when I visit the barber for a haircut or drop in for a Macca's when i'm on the road.

 

[Melburnian1]

Tuesday night is rarely as busy as Thursday or Friday nights, but FlightAware - Flight Tracker / Flight Status / Flight Tracking suggests that VA992 from BNE touched down in SYD at 2257 that evening while VA998 touched down at 2252.

Quite a few other flights that I would have expected VA to operate to SYD on a Tuesday do not show up on this website, strangely.

 

[medhead]

I remember the last Question Time before Julia got dumped. TA declared a MPI and Albo was one of the Labor speakers against. He had an intense personal interest in the matter, but he managed to speak for his allotted time without mentioning the core issue at all, and getting in a few personal attacks in on Abbott and Turnbull.

As we now know, the question was crucial to the ALP, to the government, and the country as a whole, but you wouldn't know it from Albo!

Well the importance is only your opinion. Having checked the APH website the only MPI in June this year is:

“The urgent need for a clear and united plan to deliver a stronger Australia and a better future.”
​

That question is so open I doubt anyone can name a few core issues.

ParlInfo - Matter of Public Importance

 

[medhead]

We will never know the true reason behind the curfew breaking reasons.

The reasons should be the matter for public record.

 

[basso]

The reasons should be the matter for public record.

The grant of dispensation, and a brief summary of the reasons are (or will in due course) be on the public record. The reasons behind the reasons not so much!

 

[medhead]

The grant of dispensation, and a brief summary of the reasons are (or will in due course) be on the public record. The reasons behind the reasons not so much!

And isn't that just normal government (of all colours).

 

[Melburnian1]

Here are the supposed requirements that must be met before the curfew of 2300 to 0600 hours is breached (note that some AAE and other freight flights operate during the 'wee hours' and that there is limited but permanent dispensation for a couple of inbound 'heavies' to arrive from 0500 in the morning such as QF2):

Guidelines for The Granting of Dispensations for Aircraft to Use Sydney Airport During Curfew Hours in Exceptional Circumstances

and here is an extract (one page) showing the typical reporting format that is laid before Parliament (the reports are typically quite a bit longer):

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/av...ationReports/2012/files/Webreport_01_2012.pdf

 

[codash1099]

Yes agreed article is slightly 'off' but after all it is a News Corp rag right? Rupert's pulling all the stings he can at the moment for whatever purpose he sees fit...

I would think that both the Tele and Mr Moore-Wilton both are grinding axes that are at least as large as Albo's. MMW has both commercial and political reasons, while one assumes the Tele is both ideological and commercial.

 

[basso]

Virgin somehow got an exemption, or two, or three, a few weeks back when they had the dodgy router/sabre issue.

 

[Skyring]

Well the importance is only your opinion. Having checked the APH website the only MPI in June this year is:

My faulty memory. An SSO rather than the MPI Albanese mentioned. Nevertheless, a load of waffle that made zero mention of the fact that within a few hours there would be a change of Prime Minister and he himself would be elected as Deputy PM.

There's a lovely little ending from Speaker Anna Burke, who has inherited a difficult job and performed it with aplomb:

The SPEAKER: The question is that the motion to suspend standing orders be agreed to. On complete indulgence, I welcome my mum to the chamber!