By Sibanengi Dube
Stakeholders against Melbourne Airport’s establishment of the third runway urged Melbourne West residents to send emails and make phone calls to local MPs and Ministers to express their objections.
The self-styled group, No3rdtullarunway released contact details of five local MPs and four ministers at a rally on Saturday in Keilor which was attended by more than a hundred stakeholders.
“Request the Hon. Catherine King MP, Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development and Local Government, deny approval of the Third Run way (M3R) Major Development Plan (MDP) on all the six list grounds,” reads a flier which was distributed during the meeting.
The organisers identified the following as the targets of their protest messages:
• Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King: Minister.King@mo.infrastructure.gov.au
• Minister for Climate Change, Christ Bowen: minister.bowen@industry.gov.au
• Education Minister, Jason Claire: Jason.claire.mp@aph.gov.au
• Environment Minister: Tanya Plibersek: Minister.Plibersek@dcceew.gov.au
• Calwell MP, Maria Vamvakinou: maria.vamvakinou.mp@aph.gov.au
• Maribyrmong MP, Bill Shorten: Bill.Shorten.MP@aph.gov.au
• Wills MP, Peter Khalil: Peter.Khalil.MP@aph.gov.au
• Gorton MP Brendan O’Connor: Brendan.oconnor.mp@aph.gov.au
• McEwen MP Rob Mitchell: rob.mitchell.mp@aph.gov.au
• Fraser MP, Daniel Mulino: Daniel.Mulino.MP@aph.gov.au
Addressing attendants in Old Shire Hall, speaker after speaker vented anger over the Ministers and local MPs’ silence over Australia Pacific Airports (APAM)’s the third way proposal.
Brimbank Councillor, Virginia Tachos, fired the first salvo calling upon Melbourne Airport and Federal government to be sensitive to the health impacts of the runway to the community
“Melbourne Airport’s proposal for a third runway does not fully explain the significant health impacts this runway will have on the community, or propose any meaningful measures to mitigate these impacts.
“That is why Council is continuing to call on the Federal Government to require an independent health impact assessment of the proposal to be completed, considered and released to the public before the Federal Minister makes a decision on the Major Development Plan for the third runway,” said Cr Tachos.
Addressing the same gathering spokesman of No3rdtullarunway, Frank Rivoli, called upon Melbourne Airport Management to respect and engage neighboring community members.
“The Community Aviation Consultation Groups (CACG) is a specific innovation drafted by our Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to give community a voice in airport planning. Since 2017 the public was removed from attending the CACG meetings,” said Mr Rivoli.
Another speaker, Alana Bacon lamented the impending destruction of grey box forest occupying 136.5 hectares of land where the $1.9 billion third runway is proposed to be premised.
Another speaker who preferred not to be identified attracted the biggest cheer after urging residents to vote out politicians who were not supporting the residents’ call for the disqualification of the third runway.
