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Mrs PEULICH (South Eastern Metropolitan) -- That was a kindergarten show! It was disgraceful. It shows that Ms Pulford is totally out of her depth, and if she is concerned about her future career, she would have been better advised to sit down and to shut up. It was absolutely disgraceful. But not only that, she told fib after fib.

Either the Premier, Mr Brumby, is right, or Jaala Pulford is right. Perhaps she is running for the leadership. I do not know.

For her to imply that somehow there is nothing in it and it is all just a fabrication of the opposition is laughable and contemptible, and to suggest that this serious debate should not be had in this chamber, in this Parliament, is outrageous, Ms Pulford, and you know it. It is absolutely outrageous and you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Mr Somyurek) -- Order! Mrs Peulich should direct her remarks through the Chair.

Mrs PEULICH -- Thank you, Acting President. I completely support the motion brought to this chamber by Mr Dalla-Riva and endorse the comments that have been made by other members of Parliament.

I also note that in relation to Essendon Airport there are more positions on the Labor side of politics than there are in the Kama Sutra!

We have had Ms Mikakos saying there is no intention to close the airport, Mr Eideh suggesting that indeed it is a good way to go in response to the community and there are enormous opportunities there and Ms Pulford saying that this is somehow a figment of the imagination of people not only on this side of the chamber but also out there in the community. Clearly she has not read her own Victorian state government submission in July 2008 to the national aviation policy issues paper.

Mr Finn interjected.

Mrs PEULICH -- Yes, a very short time ago. Under the subheading 'Curfews' it says:

In this context, Melbourne 2030 recognises the current role of Essendon Airport in providing specialised functions related to aviation, freight and logistics, but notes that in the medium term this facility should be closed as an airport and transformed into a significant employment and residential precinct.

That position has also been on the Melbourne 2030 web page for some time. Dare I say that what Ms Pulford has said is in direct contradiction to what Mr Brumby said in the Parliament on 9 September. I imagine that Peter Ryan, the member for Gippsland South in the Assembly and the Leader of The Nationals, would make sure that he got the facts straight, and people can check Hansard.

I quote that because it is on a piece of paper I have here that I hope I can use to ridicule and humiliate a member of Parliament who has got up and delivered a bunch of untruths. What Mr Ryan says in his press release dated 9 September 2008 is this:

When asked in Parliament today if it was Labor's policy to close the airport --

the reference in the media release being to Essendon Airport --

the Premier replied in the affirmative.

I suspect that the Premier knows a little bit more about the Labor Party position than does Ms Pulford, who quite clearly has still not taken off her training wheels and perhaps ought to take a bit more time to familiarise herself with some of the issues, rather than embarrassing herself and the party.

Members know that for a long time it has been Labor policy to close Essendon Airport. It is outlined in Developing Victoria -- Labor's Jobs and Industry Plan, produced by the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party, dated 1996 and available in the parliamentary library. One of the dot points on page 36 of the policy talks about:

... encouraging the redevelopment of the Essendon Airport in consultation with the community and the commonwealth government.

I also think there is just a little bit of toing and froing about the meaning of 'medium term'. We all know what 'medium term' means for the Labor government here in Victoria: it means 'after the next state election'. I have got up to speak to show support for Essendon Airport, which of course was our major airport until the 1970s, and the crucial role it plays not only in providing regional services but also in supporting a base for Victoria Air Ambulance and Victoria Police Air Wing and being, as I said, a key link between country and regional Victoria and Melbourne's elite medical services. In 1997 I spoke in support of Essendon Airport, and I am very pleased to get up and speak on the issue again today. The issue is very important for the many reasons that have been outlined by previous speakers.

There is also a local reason why I am speaking on this issue, and that is the impact the closure of Essendon Airport would have on other airports, including Moorabbin Airport, which is, of course, in the heart of the Legislative Assembly's Mordialloc electorate. Aviation capacity has increased steadily from the time Moorabbin Airport opened some 40 years ago, when there was a lot of green space around it. Ms Mikakos talked about the difficult planning and policy issues involved in resolving some of the interface challenges between encroaching residential development, which is allowed by state and local government policies -- particularly those of the state government and especially in the context of its high-density 2030 policy -- and the existing aviation operations. That is a problem at Moorabbin.

Most people accept the importance of Moorabbin Airport in also providing regional services. The angst and the problems are in the increasing number of trainees.

Whilst at the moment there are something like 250 000 or maybe a few more air traffic movements annually, the master plan is to double the capacity. That is predicated on the assumption that Essendon Airport will close. The difficulty with the trainees is that when you spread those figures across an entire week they do not look too bad, but most come out on the weekend. People who had homes in the area when Moorabbin Airport was established were not subjected to the incessant noise of propellers literally above their heads, possibly every 15 seconds on a weekend. There is no residential amenity, and the community has an entitlement to some level of peace.

When under this Labor government Essendon Airport is closed, which we know will be after the next state election, the residential amenity enjoyed by people in the suburbs of Dingley, Mentone, Mordialloc, Aspendale Gardens, Carrum and probably Bentleigh will be significantly reduced.

It was initially intended that many of the trainees would stay above the industrial area, but the encroachment of residential development means that many of them are actually regularly flying over the residences in the vicinity of Moorabbin Airport.

The safety record has been pretty good. Fatalities are recorded, but reports of accidents are not necessarily published as frequently as they occur, including of course accidents involving helicopters. As residential and other development increases, those safety factors will escalate. The level of concern in the community should not be underestimated. There is always an opportunity to express the views and concerns of community members. Many of them exercised that opportunity during the aviation review conducted by Minister Albanese, and I understand also during the current review of the master plan for Moorabbin Airport.

The Greens' position is interesting. They must understand that whatever position they take on Essendon has ramifications for Moorabbin and the amenity and peace that people around Moorabbin Airport enjoy. One of the local organisers, Cr Rosemary West, who I understand is very involved in Greens politics, has been campaigning vigorously on issues of open space and environmental policy. If there is one significant environmental issue in matters affecting Mordialloc and Carrum it is the plan to double aviation capacity at Moorabbin.

Although the track record on safety has been good, there is a concern that it will deteriorate, particularly as the tower is manned until only about 5.00 p.m., I understand. I do not believe that extending that time will necessarily address all the issues.

Just to place it in context, like Ms Hartland I will also quote the remarks of a constituent, a Mr R. G. Wright of Mentone, who on 15 June wrote a letter on this issue. Often people who have moved into an area and who complain about aviation are portrayed as somehow being selfish. We are not saying that the government should get rid of the airport at Moorabbin. We are saying, 'Don't force all the trainees onto Moorabbin when you close Essendon Airport'. The concerns obviously exist everywhere, and they are captured fairly well by this gentleman, whose letter I will quote briefly:

Here is the reality.

On any given day the noise can be continuous and annoying; on weekends it is usually worse, and over the summer holiday period it is virtually intolerable. The only relief is from bad weather, such as fog, which slows down activity and/or closes the airport.

He goes on to say:

Airport noise cannot be likened to living near a major road or railway. Aircraft come and go in different directions, at varying heights, at different speeds, perform different manoeuvres -- not confined like motor vehicles or trains to road or rail.

There is also a safety issue here which should be a major concern for anyone involved in civil aviation. Inevitably there will be a crash, perhaps a mid-air collision.

There have, for example, been three crashes involving helicopters in recent months (one at Moorabbin), yet we still have these high-risk machines flying over dense residential areas. He concludes by saying:

... you need to understand, realise and take on board that recreational flying has come to be a licence for the few to intrude upon, annoy and endanger the many, and this must change. Leisure flying should be like any other recreational activity -- conducted so it does not affect the right of others to enjoy their lifestyles. We are not opposed even to an increase in commercial flights at Moorabbin, but the interface between recreational flying and the rights of residents has got to be struck in a better and more informed way.

The consultation process has been poor in the past. I suspect it will not be better in the future, although I certainly hope it will be. The member for Mordialloc in the Assembly, Ms Janice Munt, sits on the local consultative committee at Moorabbin Airport, as does Cr Rosemary West. What have they done? They have done absolutely nothing. In fact, having checked Hansard, I do not believe Ms Munt, who is a representative of an area most dramatically affected by this issue, has raised it on a single occasion.

Relying on the government to consult in the medium term -- which means after 2010 -- is not going to give a lot of solace to people at Essendon or Moorabbin. I certainly urge all members to vote for this motion. We know why Labor wants to close Essendon Airport: it wants to cash in on it. Who knows what arrangements and deals may have been struck, what promises may have been made? It is not about recreational open space; it is about collecting the stamp duty and the revenue and flogging off property and land. That is what it is all about.

In terms of the distinction between state and federal Labor, we know it is all the same coffer when it comes to campaign donations. What does it show about the level of support for regional Victoria that even in the medium term -- which we know means after 2010 -- Labor plans to close Essendon Airport? What does it mean? It is an absolute sell-out, and we have seen a consistent display of the same attitude in relation to regional and rural Victorians in recent times.

What will the closure of Essendon Airport do to the capacity at Moorabbin? It will double it. I will declare a conflict of interest -- I moved into Dingley a year and a half ago, not realising the magnitude of the concerns. At the moment when I sit in my home at the weekend it is not unusual to get three helicopters or light training aircraft a minute flying overhead at 400 metres or 500 metres -- three a minute! I believe that is unacceptable. Aviation must somehow be guided so that these trainers can fly over the industrial areas -- and a very large industrial area surrounds Moorabbin. The current situation cannot be allowed to continue, and it certainly cannot be allowed to grow with the closure of Essendon Airport.

Currently there is a federal review on and there will be an early review of the master plan. I have certainly been encouraging members of my community to make submissions, and as I said, I believe the interface between airports, which we have to retain, and residential amenity and control of housing needs to be negotiated. If we want to maintain these important facilities and services, we should not permit planning schemes and planning authorities to allow development right up to the perimeter.

Obviously this has been government policy for a long time -- again, in contradiction of what Ms Pulford said. I quote from Melbourne 2030:

The government will work with the airport operators to ensure that future development of the site encourages uses that support and enhance the state's aviation industry generally and take into account potential growth that could result from the closure of Essendon.

So clearly it is on the cards: there ought to be no misconceptions about this government's plan, and certainly a high level of concern has been indicated to me by an increasing number of people whom I have surveyed and with whom I have been talking over the time since I was elected to represent the area in November 2006.

There has been a clear lack of connection in the planning process with the impact this would have on the flight paths of Moorabbin, obviously with the area built up, and this needs to be addressed, whatever the outcome is of the review of aviation and of the master plan.

Yes, the Moorabbin Airport has been there for a long time. The commercial flights are not a problem; they stick to their flight paths. The trainers are a problem. Closing Essendon Airport will magnify the problem many times over for the suburbs of Dingley, Cheltenham, Mentone, Aspendale and Carrum -- Carrum and Mordialloc are the two important suburbs -- as well as Bentleigh. I certainly support without reservation Mr Dalla-Riva's motion.

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