| Iemma backs Newcastle option |
 THE construction of a second international airport at Newcastle's Williamtown air base would boost the region's steel and tourism industries and mean improved road and rail infrastructure, the Premier, Morris Iemma, said yesterday.
THE construction of a second international airport at Newcastle's Williamtown air base would boost the region's steel and tourism industries and mean improved road and rail infrastructure, the Premier, Morris Iemma, said yesterday...
...The State Government's submission, one of 250 sent to the Federal Government as it attempts to tackle the serious issues facing Australia's aviation industry, reveals the growing congestion around Sydney Airport and calls for a radical overhaul of the region's sagging road and rail infrastructure.
However, even with the completion of multibillion-dollar projects such as the M4 East and the duplication of the M5 East tunnel, the paper says the capacity of the airport precinct will be exceeded by 2028, meaning there is a pressing need for a new airport.
Williamtown has become an important civil aviation airport, growing from 200,000 to 1 million passengers a year over the past five years.
But serious questions remain over whether Newcastle is a viable option for a large air hub.
The 2006 O'Neill report on NSW tourism found that a large airport at Newcastle would need an extremely expensive very fast train link to Sydney. The report said this was "unlikely to be commercially viable" and would be possible only with federal funding.
The federal Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese, backed the call for a second airport yesterday, but refused to support the Williamtown proposal.
For the full story, go to:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/iemma-backs-newcastle-option/2008/07/18/1216163156809.html
The Sydney Morning Herald
July 19, 2008
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