On Tuesday 25th November 2025, I made a speech on response delay to Flight Noise Senate Inquiry

Transcript:

Ms WATSON-BROWN (Ryan) (19:30): It's almost a year that Brisbane residents have had to wait for the government response to the Senate inquiry into flight noise that the Greens secured back in 2024. Almost a year we've waited for the government response, and there's not much to show for it. Only four of 21 recommendations were supported, with no meaningful action for residents actually affected by flight noise. And, to add insult to injury, the response is dated April 2025, suggesting that it has been sitting on the minister's desk for six months. It's incredibly disrespectful to a community that was holding out hope for actual change from these recommendations.

The recommendations most directly affecting Brisbane residents were 4, 5 and 6, so I want to break down what those would have meant for noise reduction. Recommendation 4 was to prioritise SODPROPS usage, which is a mode where all flights land and depart over water to minimise noise. The government did actually support this one because, theoretically, they had already implemented it via a 2024 ministerial direction secured thanks to Greens pressure. However, that direction has failed to get even close to meeting the Airservices target of 5.3 per cent. It's barely half that.

Recommendation 5 was around continuous-climb-and-descent operations. This means steady climbs and descents without levelling off at a particular altitude which creates more noise. This one really should be a no-brainer. It also saves fuel and, therefore, emissions. But the government won't commit to doing it, referring only to their predictive sequencing trials, which are at high altitude, not at the lower altitudes where noise reduction is most needed.

Recommendation 6 would have meant restricting night operations to only aircraft that meet the chapter 14 ICAO standards—so newer aircraft that are actually quieter. This could have presented perhaps the most significant change for Brisbane residents because, according to the final inquiry report, it would mean moving the notoriously loud and disruptive 2 am Emirates flight, operated on the massive A380 aircraft, out of night operations. But, just like with the other recommendations, the government can't bring itself to do anything meaningful that would negatively impact the profits of the aviation industry.

We know from Senate estimates that the minister regularly meets with Qantas, Virgin, the airports and lobby groups but in over three years has not made any time to actually meet with Brisbane residents affected by their operations. So it's no wonder that this response is so profoundly disappointing and, frankly, insulting. But let's not lose heart. I won't stop fighting for real action, and I know Brisbane residents won't either.