I was around when the infamous Warnervale Airport (Restrictions) Act was put to the State Parliament in 1996. The whole rhetoric was based on misinformation and lies. The independents at the time had the opportunity to block the Act or at the least vote in the amendment that was put up by the Libs in the Legislative Council. But they didn’t, they believed the absolute lies of the then Labor member Crittenden who needed a platform to boost his declining popularity.
Crittenden told them that they didn’t have time to come back and debate the amendment because the bulldozers were about to enter the Porters Creek wetlands to construct the new runway and it would be too late. At that time there weren’t any survey pegs placed and no construction contract had even been issued let alone the required engineering plans.
The local Central Coast Airport Action Group (CCAAG) a bunch of disaffected Wattanobbi residents led by a known anti airport activist Laurie Eyes and a local resident Jorg Brietkof bragged how they drafted the Act in one of their meetings.
At no point did the CCCAAG or Crittenden have any discussions with the Central Coast Aeroclub who built and operated the airport site.
The Act is one of the most poorly written pieces of ledgislation I have ever seen. It should have been withdrawn years ago. But now even the current Liberal Mimister who has the power to do so seems impotent in this area. The Act should be overridden by Federal legislation. The Act is a major problem and need not be if it was simply withdrawn.
How would any pilot on here like it if you were based at Warnervale, under the current rules you have to give 24 hours notice of ALL intended movements. It is simply unworkable. No Council owned ALA anywhere in Australia has that kind of a restriction on it.
This Council is out of control and not accountable to the people they are supposed to represent.
If Warnervale closes due to a lack of action on all our part, the whole aviation community at some stage will be disadvantaged. Something is fundamentally wrong with the way local governments are riding rough shod over aviation interests in this country. We have to somehow get the Feds involved and all get off our corporate arses.