THE push for a Newcastle International Airport goes back as far as the 1980s, when the business chamber of the day formed a committee to promote the idea. Then, in the late 1990s, Liberal Paterson MP Bob Baldwin pushed a plan by construction company Abigroup and Maitland businessman Hilton Grugeon for an international airport on Kooragang Island. The Kooragang backers believed more was needed to promote international travel in and out of the Hunter; hence the $4.3 billion proposal, connected to Sydney by a very fast train link.
A debate ensued, but the Kooragang airport died in its conceptual stages.
In the meantime, plans for various sorts of much quicker east coast rail services are dusted off every few years, usually around election time. But the sheer amount of capital needed to build such infrastructure continues to be an obstacle despite successful operations in other countries.
If one comparison pulls the picture into focus, it's this: Australia is the planet's sixth-biggest nation by physical size, but only 55th of more than 230 in terms of population. What's more, some 10.4 million of our 26 million people are in two essentially equally sized cities - Sydney and Melbourne.
A desire to more evenly spread our built resources was behind the Whitlam government's 1970s "decentralisation" policies. Half a century later, the same concerns about a "capital cities take all" approach are as valid as ever, and are why yesterday's confirmation of $55 million in funding to Newcastle Airport, to upgrade the terminal to international status, is so important. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says the money is in the federal Budget, and guaranteed. Labor has confirmed it would proceed with the project if in government.
Cramped and chaotic scenes at Sydney Airport yesterday were undoubtedly influenced by COVID - both through staff shortages and passenger numbers swollen with travel-starved holiday makers - but demand for aviation services is predicted to double in the coming 20 years.
Western Sydney Airport, scheduled to open in 2026, will relieve the tension at Mascot, but will do little or nothing to make it easier for people north of the Hawkesbury to access international travel. A Newcastle International Airport makes geographical sense in this regard, and would be an enormous spur to the diversification and expansion of the Hunter economy.
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