State Planning Control Defeated

Greens Bid for State Planning Control over Airport Development Defeated

State Governments will have no control over non-aviation developments at their airports following Labor's decision to back the Government in blocking the Greens efforts to have such developments subject to local and State planning laws.

Federal Labor has turned its back on State Labor Premier's who wrote to the Prime Minister earlier this year demanding that the Commonwealth hand power to the States for non-aviation developments.

"Australia-wide communities are angry that while they are subject to local and state planning laws non-aviation airport developments such as golf courses, brick works and Direct Factory Outlets are not."

"The Government even refused to require all social, economic and environmental impact assessments relating to these developments be made public. How can the community make a judgement in the public consultation process if it is denied the relevant information?"

"From Brisbane, to Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Hobart huge developments, and mega-malls are being proposed taking business from local communities. No one knows what the impact of the Big Box development in Hobart will be but it defies logic that a shopping mall full of national and multinational chains, 50% larger than the proposed for Sydney will not have an adverse economic impact on the Hobart CBD, the Eastlands Shopping Centre and other retail centres in the surrounding region.

"Only the Greens stood up for Tasmania and rights of States to control the planning in their own airports," Senator Milne said.