[Peetwo]

Senator McKenzie reads Harfwit & CO the riot act - 

Hansard out, see - HERE - or PDF Version - HERE:

Senator McKENZIE: Can Airservices Australia supply the committee with all SODPROPS data, including both daytime and night-time operations?

Mr Harfield : Yes.

Senator McKENZIE: For Brisbane Airport?

Mr Harfield : Yes.

Senator McKENZIE: Since the opening of the new runway on 12 July 2020, and the data should include dates, the number of SODPROPS flights and hours of operation—yes?

Mr Harfield : Yes.

Senator McKENZIE: In a timely fashion—that would be fantastic. Members of the Brisbane community have raised queries regarding use of full-length take-off for non-jet air traffic departing to the south. Does full-length take-off enable earlier manoeuvrability for turboprop aircraft to avoid built-up areas?

Mr Harfield : Without having the instrument departure plate in front of it, in using the full length they'll gain height quicker and, depending on where the turning point is—if it's based around being at a particular height, the answer would be yes.

Senator McKENZIE: Sorry?

Mr Harfield : The answer would be yes if it's based around a turning point at a certain height.

Senator McKENZIE: Does full-length take-off enable turboprop aircraft to climb to a safe turning height within the airfield boundaries?

Mr Harfield : It would depend on where the turn is and what height it would be as to whether it would be within the airport boundary.

Senator McKENZIE: I'm asking if it's possible. Because it relies on all those different metrics and caveats—with full-length take-off, are they able to climb to what's determined to be a safe turning height, not any turning height, within the airfield boundaries?

Mr Harfield : Most likely, yes.

Senator McKENZIE: Would the use of full-length take-off on runway 19R enable aircraft to fly over fewer suburbs at a low height?

Mr Harfield : I'll ask Mr Curran to answer that question.

Mr Curran : We've been undertaking a trial for the past near 18 months in Brisbane using the full-length departure from runway 19R—

Senator Mc KENZIE: Ah, thank you—1-9-R not 19R.

Mr Curran : We've been gathering data on their performance, using our noise-monitoring stations located throughout Brisbane. We've been publishing that data on a quarterly basis for the Brisbane community and engaging with the AAB, the airport advisory board, which was established earlier this year by the government, and providing that information. We're soon to make a decision as to the continuation of that trial and also another trial for the extension of SODPROPS—simultaneous opposite direction parallel runway operations. Both of those trials have been running for approximately 18 months, and they were instigated by a former noise body called BABAF, the Brisbane Airport advisory forum, which was established by the then government. We've been gathering that data and publishing it, and we'll be making a decision as to whether both of those trials will be ongoing.

Senator McKENZIE: Mr Curran, we have very limited time today. I know it seems rude, but, if we could just ask and answer the questions, it would be really helpful. So does it allow you to fly over fewer suburbs at a low height, or are you just doing pilots and you don't know yet? Is the answer that you don't know yet?

Mr Curran : The data we have shows that there is no discernible noise difference over the communities that we have noise monitors for. The answer is—

Senator McKENZIE: That actually wasn't my question.

Mr Curran : I think answer is no, to your question. It doesn't allow you to fly over fewer suburbs, and for the suburbs you do overfly there is no discernible difference in noise.

Senator McKENZIE: What areas of Brisbane would be less impacted—none?

Mr Curran : On the data we have: none. And in two locations, Saint Lucia and a nearby suburb, there was a one decibel worse outcome for residents there.

Senator McKENZIE: Has Airservices Australia recommended pilots use the full length of the runway at Brisbane?

Mr Curran : That's correct. That is the trial that we have in place for runway 19R.

Senator McKENZIE: Does the use of the full runway for take-off impact on the amount of thrust needed to achieve height markers in the flight paths?

Mr Curran : I'd have to provide that answer on notice. There are some quite significant technical complexities with that.

Senator McKENZIE: Does use of the full runway for take-off enable pilots to use full thrust to climb higher more quickly, reducing the impact of aircraft noise on residents and businesses underneath the flight path?

Mr Curran : The answer from the data we've gathered over the trial has been no.

Senator McKENZIE: Okay. I have a range of questions on Sydney airport that I will have to put on notice, and I look forward to receiving your answers. Sorry—I've just missed something. In the answer to QON261, between June 2022 and May 2023 there were 31 formal reports of inappropriate behaviour, including bullying and harassment, at Airservices Australia. Given the concerns raised at last estimates, what action has Airservices Australia had to these concerns?

Mr Harfield : Those were formal complaints to give you a view to date. Since that time there have been another 14 complaints.

Senator M cKENZIE: Oh, right.

Mr Harfield : Out of those reports of suspected misconduct, including bullying and harassment, five were unsubstantiated during their assessment; 11 went to formal investigation; 33 were resolved through what we would call non-investigative resolutions, such as mediation or if there's been a misunderstanding et cetera; and five are still being assessed as to whether they'll go to full investigation.

Senator McKENZIE: Have you completed that review of culture at Airservices Australia?

Mr Harfield : We previously did that in 2020. We've had a progress review done by Elizabeth Broderick & Co, and that was published on 28 September. It is on our website, and I have our response plan here that I'm willing to table. It's also available on our website, but I've got our response plan here.

Senator McKENZIE: Thank you, Mr Harfield. We'll take that. Has Minister King raised any specific concerns with Airservices Australia regarding the number of complaints received?

Mr Harfield : Not specifically—other than ongoing concern, for which we will report quarterly on our whole culture journey, and that includes statistics et cetera, quarterly, through our normal formal reporting.

Senator McKENZIE: Senators around this table have been on this committee for a very, very long time and are quite tired of hearing Airservices Australia walk in every single estimates with appalling lists of bullying and harassment. Reviews are announced, reviews are completed and action plans are drafted, and everyone just marches on. Tell me something is going to be different, Mr Harfield.

Mr Harfield : As you'll see from the progress report, some things have changed since the 2020 review conducted by Elizabeth Broderick. There are some areas where action has been taken, and, due to a range of things, there are some areas that have not gone as well as we expected. That's the reason why we actually do progress reviews: to ensure we're on track and improving. Our response plan, which we've tabled, has some immediate action on some of the concerns with our review, and—

Senator McKENZIE: Yep. Alright. Mr Harfield, I feel like I've just got the record on 'repeat'. Has Minister King called you into her office and asked you to explain these appalling bullying and harassment figures?

Mr Harfield : No, she has not.

Senator McKENZIE: If she did, would you attend?

Mr Harfield : Yes.

Senator McKENZIE: And explain why this keeps happening?

Mr Harfield : I would explain the journey we're on and all the actions we have taken to reduce—

Senator McKENZIE: Snail's pace, this journey. Question 339 advised that 73 claims had been referred to Comcare by Airservices Australia staff in the 2022-23 financial year to date. Has the minister requested advice on the high level of Comcare claims within Airservices Australia?

Mr Harfield : No.

Senator McKENZIE: What action is being taken to address these high levels of Comcare claims?

Mr Harfield : There are a range of actions, depending on what the case is. As we have a high level of some of our activities, such as our aviation, rescue and firefighting services, and the physical activity associated with them, a lot of our Comcare claims are around soft-tissue injuries and those types of injuries—return to work and work-through arrange. We will have to give you on notice all the work that's being done across all those claims.

Senator McKENZIE: But the minister or her office has not reached out to Airservices Australia to ask what is wrong in the state of Denmark?

Mr Harfield : The minister has not reached out to have a briefing on Comcare.

Senator McKENZIE: Can you please provide an update on the noise action plan for Brisbane?

Mr Harfield : Yes, we can.

Senator McKENZIE: Assistant Minister, you've seen it for yourself? Will you undertake to contact Minister King and ask her to have a meeting with these guys? You've sat around this table long enough as well—that these workers and these unacceptably high bullying and harassment claims and Comcare claims, for an organisation this size, actually need to be dealt with at a ministerial level.

Senator Chisholm: Sure. Minister King, as we all do, expects the highest standards possible and that these are dealt with appropriately at all times.

Senator McKENZIE: So, you think the minister has dealt with this appropriately?

Senator Chisholm: I think she expects that the—

Senator McKENZIE: I know that; I know that.

Senator Chisholm: authorities would deal with them appropriately.

Senator McKENZIE: I'm asking whether you, having heard the evidence here—and it's not your first rodeo—will undertake to let her or her office know that this is something that needs to be dealt with, that she needs to sit these guys down and show them that she is serious about this.

Senator Chisholm: I'm sure that the minister will take appropriate action.

Senator McKENZIE: We'll see about that. How many noise complaints have been received in the Brisbane region in the past 12 months?

Mr Curran : In Brisbane, since the start of this calendar year—would that be acceptable?

Senator McKENZIE: Yes, sure.

Mr Curran : To September, year-to-date, we've had 23,328 contacts or complaints, made by 5,159 individual complainants—no, sorry: that's the total since the opening of the Brisbane parallel runway; the correct answer is 8,336 contacts or complaints, made by 1,425 individual complainants.

Senator McKENZIE: And that's from January to September?

Mr Curran : Correct.

Senator McKENZIE: With the 5,000 being since it opened—got it. What's the trajectory of airport noise complaints since the opening of the Brisbane Airport parallel runway in July 2022?

Mr Curran : The number of complainants has been relatively stable since 2022 and since 2021. However, during the course of this year we've seen an increase in the number of complaints made per complainant.

Senator McKENZIE: In the interests of time, I have to stop questioning. I hope things change before we see each other again.

MTF...P2