I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet, and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging. I’d like to thank and Wurundjeri Elder Jason Tweedie for the smoking ceremony, and John Terrick for that wonderful yidaki performance. I would also like to acknowledge Her Excellency Governor Margaret Beazley, Western Sydney International chair Paul O’Sullivan, Western Sydney CEO S...
I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet, and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging. I’d like to thank and Wurundjeri Elder Jason Tweedie for the smoking ceremony, and John Terrick for that wonderful yidaki performance. I would also like to acknowledge Her Excellency Governor Margaret Beazley, Western Sydney International chair Paul O’Sullivan, Western Sydney CEO Simon Hickey, Premier Chris Minns, and all my colleagues from across federal and state parliaments, past and present. What an extraordinary day this is. A great day for Western Sydney, a great day for Sydney, a great day for NSW and a great day for Australia. Western Sydney International is our first new major airport in more than five decade – and a wonderful new chapter in the life of our nation. This vision is what we anticipated and those of us supporting an airport in Western Sydney wanted. This is not Sydney's second airport. This is not even Western Sydney's new airport. This is Australia's best airport, without question. One that will better connect Australians with each other and better connect Australia with the world. And how fitting it is that it bears the name of our great aviation pioneer, Nancy Bird Walton. She was a remarkable and courageous Australian, a trailblazer who took to the sky and found freedom – and such exhilaration. I am delighted that so many members of Nancy Bird’s family are here today. I am rapt to be here as Prime Minister, and as a former Aviation, Transport and Infrastructure Minister. Everyone who has been part of the story along the way can feel proud today. It’s been long and remarkable journey for all of us. From my first speech as a freshly elected MP in 1996, I have championed the airport and worked across the Parliament to turn the vision into a reality. After watching this site take shape, and visiting here so often it felt like a permanent entry in my diary, it’s extraordinary that it is finally happening. When we are done with the formalities this morning, Western Sydney International’s first passenger flight – a Jetstar flight bound for the Gold Coast – will go thundering down that runway. I was very pleased to meet some of the crew and first passengers going to the Gold Coast for a week, lucky them. Then tomorrow, the first international flight will take off: the Air New Zealand service to Auckland. Before all that happens, let’s take a moment to reflect on everyone who has got us to this point. I want to turn the clock back to the 3rd of May 1985, when Bob Hawke’s Aviation Minister Peter Morris put out a press release headlined “Minister previews proposed second Sydney airport layouts”. That was 41 years, 5 months and 22 days ago. Who says patience isn't rewarded? The press release, in turn, came nearly 38 years after another Prime Minister, Ben Chifley, talked about the need for a secondary airport in each capital city. So one thing you can be certain of is the project hasn’t been rushed. Prime Minister Hawke correctly assessed the situation in 1989 when he said: “We are going to get it right. If I can be satisfied that we've got it right by tomorrow, then it'll be tomorrow, if not it will be later.” So here we are: just a little bit later. But we are here. I think about how tantalisingly close Peter Morris got to seeing this day. He only passed away in April – how wonderful it would have been to see him make it. But of the many people here who’ve contributed to the realisation of this project, I do want to single out three people. Firstly, from politics, Joe Hockey, who I worked with closely to keep the dream of a second Sydney airport alive, when some were depicting it as a nightmare. The truth is that it now has overwhelming support because it will drive economic activity, jobs and the future of Western Sydney. Secondly, from the public service, Mike Mrdak, who worked diligently across successive governments and rose from being a Department Liaison Officer in Laurie Brereton’s office, to Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure serving for governments from both sides. And thirdly, from civil society, Chris Brown from the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, who campaigned tirelessly for decades for this project and made such a difference. To Joe, Mike and Chris – I hope you feel as proud as you deserve today. I think now Australia can see when people like this come together – politics, public servants, civil society – that you really make a substantial difference. Western Sydney International is the result of multiple governments – Labor and Coalition, federal and state – working for a better Australia. And it stands as an emphatic reminder of the role of government and how it can work productively with business and community to deliver for Australians. I remember the discussions I had as shadow minister about getting the decision right, which the former government did, of keeping it in public hands rather than having common ownership across the two major Sydney airports. That is what will drive competition here. That is what will make it a success. Powered by $5.3 billion in Government investment, this is a bold vision turned into reality by the energy, talent and dedication of architects, engineers, builders, and an army of tradies. I say to them: today is an extraordinary credit to every single one of you. And the fact that so much of the workforce came from this local community means that when they use the airport, they can tell their kids and their grandkids, "I helped build that," and be proud of what has been achieved. Around 9 million work hours went into its construction, with more than 2,000 workers at its peak. The terminal floor space is equivalent to around 13.5 football fields. And in keeping with Western Sydney’s place at the forefront of solar energy uptake, it has around 9,000 solar panels, capable of meeting approximately 40 per cent of the terminal’s energy demand. It has 40 check-in kiosks and 34 bag drops, all operating with Australia's best technology. More than 44,000 m² of roof structure. Around 3,500 tonnes of steelwork and 40 kilometres of Australian-made steel purlins, with fabrication across Adelaide, Whyalla, Tamworth and Orange. And Australian materials include sandstone sourced from the Central Coast, with the design also incorporating First Nations references and material from the Nepean River. Just look at the result. The British author Douglas Adams once wrote that no language in the world contained the expression “as pretty as an airport”. Western Sydney International might have given him some pause. A short distance from us, the 3.7 km runway is capable of handling the full range of commercial aircraft, including the Airbus A380. The runway base incorporates 5.5 million tonnes of sandstone diverted from landfill from Sydney tunnelling projects. One of those bits of multi-purposing that is very exciting for every infrastructure nerd in this room. Your presence here suggests you're one of them. Be proud. Another extraordinary stat is that WSI increases Sydney’s air cargo capacity by a third, and is ultimately designed to handle around 1.8 million tonnes of cargo a year. Airlines are queuing up on the tarmac. We have Jetstar raring to go very shortly, with Qantas also offering domestic services. Along with Air New Zealand, international airlines include Singapore Airlines – commencing daily services to Singapore in just under a month – and Qatar, which will begin a service to Doha three times a week from mid-December. They will be joined by Vietjet Air and Fiji Airways, with Vietjet Thailand also planning services subject to regulatory approvals. What we'll see is more airlines queuing up to come here because there's nowhere better you'd rather operate from. But it’s not just cargo and travel. An airport is a catalyst for economic development. Western Sydney has 2.8 million people. They have improved access to aviation but importantly access to growing opportunities as well. Jennifer Westacott is here who is one of our big advocates for the Aerotropolis idea. The idea that if you want to drive economic change in the area, there are two things you can do: an airport and a university. Western Sydney now has both. Western Sydney University and now Western Sydney airport, this will make an enormous difference. As of the end of last month, construction of Western Sydney International supported 13,243 direct job years. But it is what it will do for the region. Together with Moorebank Intermodal, Australia's best intermodal, Australia's best airport, an aerotropolis with the space around to bring global investment to Western Sydney. To drive jobs growth, innovation, research and the jobs of the future. I want to acknowledge the role as well of the NSW Government in building the roads and partnering on the roads and the rail line, which will make an enormous difference, including Sydney Metro and planning for the Southwest Sydney rail extension. That is just part of the difference an airport can make. It’s all happening here in a part of Sydney. This is more than an airport. This is an opening of opportunity for the dynamic culture of Western Sydney going to the next level. And changing the way that Sydney is seen. And the centres such as Campbelltown and Liverpool and Parramatta and Penrith and Fairfield and Blacktown will explode because of this. For too long, Sydney has looked towards the Harbour and the CBD, what this does is turn it around to where people live, to where jobs occur, to where investment occurs in Western Sydney. Congratulations to everyone involved. This is a great celebration and a proud day for Western Sydney, proud day for New South Wales, but also a great day for our nation. I'm very proud to declare Western Sydney International Airport now open.
Speech Brief