Transcript - Radio 2GB Sydney - Ben Fordham Live with Mark Levy

MARK LEVY [HOST] : Well, the work on Western Sydney Airport is well and truly underway. It's one thousand days, can you believe it, until the new Western Sydney International Airport opens. 

From all reports the project's coming along nicely; we're told the runway's nearly completed, but there's still some work to be done because the surrounding aerotropolis is stalled. There are concerns it will never get off the ground as it stands. Construction on the precinct has barely started.   

Today the Airport City Summit will be held at Warwick Farm. More than 400 businesses, industry and government leaders will appear. They'll examine the impact of the project, and it's being held by the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue. 

Catherine King is the Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister, and she joins me on the line. Minister, good morning to you. 

CATHERINE KING [MINISTER]: Good morning to you, Mark. 

MARK LEVY: Well, we're only a thousand days away now; before we know it, Western Sydney International Airport will be open. How's it all coming along? 

CATHERINE KING: Well, it's all 73 per cent complete, so the runway, the terminal, and I'm heading out there after I speak to you to do the sod turn on the airport's business precinct, that's 191‑hectare master plan business precinct, that's including spaces for warehouses, offices, hotels, conference centres, gyms, retail, foods. 

It's going to employ about 400 people under construction, and it will be on the airport land and so that business precinct is really getting underway. So we're getting there; it's a thousand days. We've obviously got the flight paths that are under consideration at the moment as well, but we are on track to open this airport in 2026. 

MARK LEVY: I was reading, Minister, something this morning, and I had no idea that this will be a bit different, this airport, because it's an airport without an air traffic control tower on site. How's this all going to work, because I found that quite interesting. 

CATHERINE KING: Yes, so the way in which air traffic control works, I guess, in the old days, you had, you know, line of sight, so it's not really how it works these days. I've been into the big towers up in ‑ in the big new towers in Brisbane and down east, is that they actually track electronically, basically is how it's done, and so the air traffic control tower won't actually be the first airport without one that has that line of sight, so it's a new change for Australia, but well and truly safe. 

MARK LEVY: Now there's a lot of concern around the Aerotropolis. There are concerns, and some think it will never get off the ground. The airport's only a thousand days away, as we've touched on, but this project is completely stalled. How long is it going to take for it to be completed, Minister? 

CATHERINE KING: So I guess there's two things. So obviously there's the business precinct at the airport itself on Commonwealth land, and that's what I'm turning the sod on today, and of course then there is the Aerotropolis, which is additional land for other business opportunities part of the airport. 

We saw obviously the Minns Government inherited this project, they released the master plan just in February, and that work is continuing, I think they're looking at, you know, a new delivery authority or a coordinator to oversee the delivery of that critical infrastructure.

But what we know is that in building the airport, that $5.3 billion that the Commonwealth is investing alongside additional money for the rail links, the road upgrades that are going through there, obviously the M12's been a significant investment, there are big opportunities for business. 

Now they're not going to be built overnight, but that planning has been done, and I know that the Minns Government is working really hard, alongside the delivery authority to really get that right. 

MARK LEVY: But the concern though, Minister, is hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into the project, and there's nothing really to show for it. Do you understand sort of where people are coming in that regard? 

CATHERINE KING: Look, I understand that the Minns Government inherited a bit of a mess here, and they're having to really work their way through to make sure that that is investment‑ready, so that private sector investment can be done, and that's why that master plan, or the draft master plan coming out in February was so important, and that work is being undertaken by the New South Wales Government. 

My job as the Federal Infrastructure Minister is to build the airport, but to work really closely with the New South Wales Government to make sure we've got that enabling infrastructure in place, and that work's underway. 

MARK LEVY: All right. While I've got you, Minister, fuel efficiency standards. Now the new fuel efficiency standards have come understand extreme fire. Those standards have now been watered down. Under the new plan, you'll delay the start of pollution penalties until July 1 next year. You've also reduced the amount new utes and SUVs have to reduce their emissions. Did you read the room, Minister? 

CATHERINE KING: Well, what we did is we put out, as we're supposed to do a consultation process through an impact analysis. You look at that, we put out our preferred position, I talked really extensively to car manufacturers and to the climate groups as well, and then we've introduced legislation in the parliament that reflects that consultation. 

What I want to see is people getting the benefits of cheaper fuels from more efficient vehicles; whether they're petrol, whether they're diesel, whether they're hybrid, or whether they’re electric vehicles coming into our market. We're already seeing an increase in the diversity of new vehicles coming in, but there are certainly vehicles that are offered overseas that we just don't get here. 

And so that's really what the fuel efficiency standards are about. I don't want people paying millions of dollars in petrol that we're paying currently. There's lots of savings to be made from this as well as, you know, good outcomes for the environment, good outcomes for health of communities as we reduce the emissions of cars driving through them, but really good outcomes for people's hip pocket as well. 

MARK LEVY: All right. Minister, while I've got you as well, are you familiar with what's happening in the Megalong Valley at the moment? 

CATHERINE KING: I'm not, so I apologise for that. I'm not across that. 

MARK LEVY: Well, there's 200 residents trapped in the Megalong Valley near the Blue Mountains. So the only public road into the valley's been destroyed by a landslide; it was triggered by the heavy rainfall last Friday. I, on the program this morning, spoke to a community leader, local resident, Claudia Abbott. They've been pleading for something to happen since 2021. She'd made the point to me they've had five sets of traffic lights on this road; they've had helicopters bringing in food and supplies over the last few days, for medicine to give to the community. Is this something you can step in, given you are the Minister for Infrastructure, and get something, get the ball rolling? 

CATHERINE KING: Well, the first thing that happens is that disaster relief arrangements have been triggered to assist people throughout what has been a terrible circumstance in terms of the weather that we've had, it's just been extraordinary, so that's the sort of first thing, you step in to try and help people recover as quickly as possible. 

Then if there are road repairs to be done, that's a matter of working that through with the New South Wales Government about what we need to do. But then in the longer term, of course, what we have to start doing is building in resilience into our infrastructure. 

We shouldn't just be building roads that are okay for now. We know that we've got a change in climate, we've got to build that resilience in. Always happy to work with the New South Wales Government and local government about what we can do to build that resilience into infrastructure. 

MARK LEVY: All right. 

CATHERINE KING: But obviously the first thing we've got to do is make sure people can actually, you know, access food supplies, and that those disaster recovery arrangements are [indistinct]. 

MARK LEVY: I'd appreciate it, if it's okay with you, Minister, if you could make a couple of phone calls, because they feel helpless at the moment. 200 residents trapped in the Megalong Valley, one road in and out, they're having to use bulldozers to clear a path to get out of there. So if you can make a couple of phone calls and use your influence, that would be pretty handy, and I'm sure the locals would really appreciate it as well. 

CATHERINE KING: Yeah, I'm absolutely sure the New South Wales Government is listening to you as well, and happy to reach out. 

MARK LEVY: All right. Fantastic. Minister, I appreciate your time as always. 

CATHERINE KING: So good to be with you, Mark. 

MARK LEVY: That's Catherine King, Federal Transport Minister, marking a thousand days until the new Western Sydney International Airport opens.