By Tony Moore
Noise complaints around Brisbane Airport rank low on residents' complaints list, according to three Brisbane City Councillors on each side of the Brisbane River.
This comes as the Federal Government prepares to release an Aviation White Paper on December 16 which is believed to contain a recommendation to continue "periodic reviews" of the need for a night time curfew.
Brisbane residents make few complaints about aircraft noise, according to Brisbane City councillors.Credit: Jessica Hromas
On the northside, Hamilton Ward councillor David McLachlan (LNP) said he got more complaints about dogs than aircraft.
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"We get very, very few complaints about airport noise," Cr McLachlan said.
"In terms of complaints I get in the ward - if I tracked them and ranked them - aircraft noise would be be down in the lower 50s out of a hundred," he said.
"The impact of the new runway - what impact they might have on aircraft noise - well [Brisbane Airport Corporation] will have to do a thorough job on explaining that.
"People are concerned about it, but they are not expressing that in terms of opposition to the project, or to the operating hours of the airport."
Cr McLachlan's ward takes in the suburbs of Eagle Farm, Hamilton, Hendra, Albion, Ascot, Clayfield, Wooloowin, Bowen Hills, Lutwyche, Newstead and Windsor, representing hundreds of people who work at the airport.
"I recognise the impact the airport makes to the economy of this area, to the economy of Brisbane and in fact to the economy of Queensland," he said.
On the southside, Morningside councillor Shayne Sutton (ALP) said her ward office received few complaints
"I get the occasional complaint, but I think most of the residents who log complaints go directly to the aircraft noise hotline, or to Kevin Rudd's office," Cr Sutton said.
"He campaigned heavily on aircraft noise when he was first elected in 1998, so the person who is most clearly identified with dealing with aircraft noise is the Federal member."
Cr Sutton said she would support a night time curfew, but preferred to negotiate on flight paths to make ease noise complaints during the day.
She said she attended a meeting with BAC and a Seven Hills resident who lived under the flight path three weeks ago.
"It happened to be on a night when there weren't that many planes overhead, disappointingly," she said.
Holland Park LNP councillor Ian McKenzie, who represents the flight-path suburbs of Camp Hill, Holland Park and Greenslopes, said he had received just one complaint in 18 months.
"It is not a major problem," he said, but also suggested complaints may go to Kevin Rudd's office.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman both yesterday rejected a night-time curfew like Sydney and Adelaide for Brisbane Airport.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd still wants "periodic reviews".
Brisbane Airport plans to have a new parallel runway in place by 2015, after receiving Federal Government approval in September 2007.
BAC's public submission for the second runway predicted that annual aircraft movements would grow from 160,000 movements in 2005 to 227,000 in 2015 and 393,000 in 2035.
They received about 80 complaints from 29 people last month, but BAC chief executive Julieanne Alroe said they would soon launch a new facility to give people thinking of buying homes near the airport an idea of how noise might affect them.
"We are also going to open an Airport Experience Centre so people thinking of buying property in and around Brisbane can come in and get clear, simple information about how they may be affected by future noise," she said.