Hannah Hammoud
Brimbank council is calling on the federal government to give “greater regard” to the health and wellbeing of communities that are impacted by aircraft noise.
Council endorsed a submission to the Commonwealth Rural and Regional Affairs Transport References Committee Inquiry into the impacts and mitigation of aircraft noise. The inquiry is focused on the impact and mitigation of aircraft noise on residents and business in capital cities and regional areas.
Council said Melbourne Airport’s 2022 draft master plan gave “no genuine consideration” to the health implications for Brimbank’s residents, “or any effective ways to reduce and mitigate these impacts.”
Council reports that about 3547 Brimbank homes are within the Melbourne Airport Environs Overlay and this includes the suburbs of Keilor, Keilor Park, Taylors Lakes, St Albans, Sunshine North and Sunshine.
Council said Melbourne Airport’s preliminary draft major development plan for the third runway did not “adequately identify” the environmental impacts reasonably expected to be associated with the proposed development on the Brimbank community.
However a Melbourne Airport spokesperson said that while some of the health issues raised in Brimbank council’s submission address “some valid issues”, the same cannot be said for other issues raised.
“Unfortunately, much of the analysis Brimbank commissioned relies on an incorrect interpretation of the WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European region,” the spokesperson said.
“The WHO framework was not applied to Melbourne Airport’s Third Runway project by Melbourne Airport as it is not incorporated in Australian aircraft noise regulation, including the airports act or National Airports Safeguarding Framework. Melbourne Airport has, however, advocated that the WHO framework be considered within the full context of available aircraft noise wisdom, in the forthcoming federal Aviation White Paper.”
Council’s recommendations in its submission to the inquiry includes a range of proposals for the federal government including, undertaking a review of the aircraft noise system to minimise harm to human health and provide health impact guidance to protect the community from aircraft noise, requiring airports to prepare a health impact assessment for the development and expansion of runways that are assessed against Worth Health Organisation Noise Guidance, publicly available and independently reviewed, and addressing aircraft noise levels beyond the WHO Noise guidance with measures like a federally funded noise insulation program, a noise curfew, voluntary property acquisition or other measures to ensure that the impacts are adequately addressed and minimised.
