Excessive flight path noise from planes arriving at and departing from Brisbane Airport is a massive problem affecting Brisbane residents. I’ve heard from thousands in the community about how deeply the issue of flight noise is impacting their lives, and it’s abundantly clear that change is needed to mitigate noise pollution for residents and to more sustainably manage Brisbane Airport. 

Brisbane Airport has one of the worst noise abatement plans in the developed world and it is run to maximise profit at the expense of Brisbane residents and the environment. Even for those not affected by flight noise, the major party’s inaction on the issue is an important insight into the power big corporations can wield over people’s lives and the legal system that allows them to do it.  

Right now, Brisbane Airport Corporation has the support of the Labor Party and the Coalition, the aviation industry, and Airservices Australia, which has been almost entirely captured by corporate interests. We know this fight won’t just be won in parliament, but must also be won in the broader community. 

As your MP, I’m supporting the community-led demands to curb flight noise, including:

• implementing a 10pm-6am night-time curfew, 
• a total cap on flights at 45 flights per hour, 
• a new long-term operating plan that prioritises more flights over the water

These noise abatement measures operate successfully in other communities in close proximity to airports- including at Sydney Airport. Yet the Minister for Infrastructure has so far ruled out entertaining these reasonable solutions- apparently, a curfew or a cap on flights is good enough for Sydney residents, but not Brisbane.

I’ve introduced a bill to federal parliament - the Brisbane Airport Curfew and Demand Management Bill - alongside my Greens colleagues - to implement a cap, curfew, and long-term operating plan that the community have been demanding. Unfortunately, at this time Labor and the Liberals have continued to side with the Airport Corporation and its massive profits over the needs of the community.

Watch my speech introducing our flight noise bill here.

In the absence of Government support, we’re looking to community power to compel the Minister to take real action. I’ve been inspired by stories about how Sydney won their noise protections in the 1990s, after more than 10,000 people marched on Sydney Airport, creating pressure that the Government could not ignore.

The Brisbane flight noise community has rallied around this issue and with their support, the Greens have:

• Secured a Senate inquiry into aircraft noise to hold our industry and the government to account and to build the case for a cap, curfew and more flights over the water. 
• Secured a commitment from the Minister for Infrastructure to direct Air Services Australia to change the preferred operating mode of Brisbane Airport so that, whenever possible, flights are both taking off and landing over the water and which demonstrated clearly that the government is susceptible to pressure on this, and that we should keep fighting. 
• Jointly responded to Airservices Australia’s Post Implementation Review on the new Brisbane Airport runway
• Helped uncover Airservices’ sham ‘full runway trial’ at Brisbane Airport, where the goal was to get planes to climb higher over peoples’ homes (thus reducing noise), but height markers used for navigation weren’t actually increased.
• Pressed the government on their failure to take high speed rail seriously and ensure that in the long-term, realistic alternatives to flying are available, which is essential for both noise and emissions reduction.
• Held multiple meetings with Minister Catherine King, Brisbane Airport Corporation and affected community members.

Finally, while our primary path to change is through pressuring the federal government to take action, we also need state MPs to join the Greens and our community in taking action. Queensland Labor MPs have been steadfast in pretending there’s nothing they can do to tackle flight noise- while they continue to directly subsidise nearly half of all late night commercial passenger flights with their $100 million aviation slush fund. Not only are Queensland Labor MPs refusing to back the community’s calls for a curfew and often running defence for the airport's conduct, they’re actually directly funding these red-eye flights with public money.

It’s time for Labor to stand with the community and join the Greens in calling for real action to make sure everyone can get a good night’s sleep. The Queensland Government has a powerful role to play in the debate around flight noise - whether it’s in opposing a cap and curfew, subsidising late-night flights, or running offensive attack lines on behalf of the aviation industry, it’s clear that our state politicians have a serious role to play on flight noise and this election we need to bring Labor and the Liberals to bear and make them stand with their communities, not the airport.

I send email newsletters about flight noise regularly to help keep the community up to date on this campaign. Sign up on this page to follow along and learn how you can help build the pressure.