Transport Minister Warren Truss’s stubborn refusal to link the proposed second Sydney airport at Badgerys Creek to the existing rail network will severely limit the job creation potential of the project.
Labor welcomes release of the environmental impact study into the airport and the news that sound insulation will not be required for homes in the area, but warns that it would be absurd to open a new airport that is not connected to public transport.
Linking the airport to the rail network from its planned 2025 opening will maximise drive jobs growth in aviation related industries around the airport.
Mr Truss’s claim that the airport will not handle enough passengers to make a rail link worthwhile betrays his failure to understand that carefully considered infrastructure investment is a catalyst for job creation and economic development.
Sydney’s second airport is not just about travellers. It is about high value jobs for the people of western Sydney.
Extending the existing passenger line from Leppington through to the western line near St Marys via Badgerys Creek will provide a boost for the entire western Sydney region and would be sensible even without the construction of an airport.
Labor calls on Malcolm Turnbull, who recognised last Friday the airport would need to be connected to the rail network, to overrule Mr Truss in the name of common sense and economic growth.
I am pleased that the Government has today released the EIS and announced details for public consultation.
It is critical that the government is open with the community about the project and that it pays careful attention to the points raised during the consultation period.