Last week I had been trying to get in contact with the local MP, Justine Elliot. I had copies of more than 300 letters raising questions about aircraft noise over the Tweed that were forwarded to transport minister Anthony Albanese more than 12 months ago.
Whilst every letter is signed with names and addresses supplied to enable the minister to respond to the concerns, not one reply has been received. I have fielded questions from the letter writers as to why there has been no reply from the minister.
I contacted Justine Elliot’s office this week to make an appointment to hand over copies of the letters and seek her assurance that minister Albanese would be provided with the letters and that the concerns expressed were conveyed to him.
I was told that Justine Elliot was in Canberra all week and that the only way to get the letters to her was to bring them to the office and they would send them down to Canberra and hopefully she would get to see minister Albanese to pass them on.
Imagine my shock when I woke up this morning to hear that both Justine Elliot and minister Albanese were in the Tweed today (Friday) – doing a media show on Sextons Hill with the opening of the northern lanes. I am very disappointed that Justine’s office had not mentioned this to me, nor informed me that the minister whom we had sought a meeting with in the middle of last year was on our doorstep.”
On contacting minister Albanese’s office we were advised that he was on the Tweed from 8.45am until 9.30am today when he flew back to Sydney.
Forty-five minutes – that’s what the Tweed gets of minister Albanese’s time – even though he is fully aware of resident and business concerns regarding the Gold Coast Airport Master Plan that he is currently considering. The minister’s decision regarding the Master Plan is expected to be announced around 26 May. If approved there will be a trebling of the number of flights out of the Gold Coast Airport – 75 per cent of which will depart over the Tweed.
Not good enough, Minister – the Tweed deserves better.
Karen Morrison
Secretary, Fingal Head Community Association
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