Background

Lismore residents may be aware of campaigning and petitioning by a Residents Action Group against noise generated by light aircraft operating at Lismore Regional Airport, and the passage of a motion on 13/7/21, proposed by Lismore Mayor Vanessa Ekins and supported by all of the current councillors, to consult with the Lismore community about this issue and the future of the Lismore Regional Airport. While I fully support the motion to consult with the community and to provide clarity around the future of the airport, at this stage the community has not had a formal opportunity to show support for operators based at Lismore Regional Airport. The community may also not be aware that a change of fee structure was introduced at the Lismore Regional Airport, following Council’s unamended passage in June 2021 of the draft budget for 2021-22, effective from 1/7/21, that will result in an increase in landing fees charged to our company that is in the order of magnitude of 3000% higher per annum. This change of fee structure was proposed without prior consultation with key stakeholders such as our company, announced with a notice period of around six weeks, and then passed by councillors despite submissions to Council clearly outlining the magnitude of this change on our company, and its potential impact on our viability and future at the airport. We have been advised that this change was implemented in an attempt to correct a budget deficit at the airport of around $800,000 per year, however while this change will massively increase the cost base for our operations at Lismore, it will unfortunately make a minimal impact on this budget deficit, and an immaterial impact on the overall debt carried by Lismore City Council. On 31/5/21, Lismore City Council themselves issued a media release outlining that the airport generates more than $26 million annually in local economic activity, employing 57 persons directly and 26 indirectly (source - https://lismore.nsw.gov.au/news/airport-brings-economic-and-job-benefits-to-our-community). It is my opinion that this change of fee structure will have the opposite effect on the budget deficit by driving aviation business away from the airport, which will risk the loss of jobs and the loss of significant economic activity. Neighbouring airports such as Ballina and Casino both offer fee structures similar to the fee structure that was in place at Lismore prior to the change that was implemented on 1/7/21, and so are now much more attractive locations than Lismore to conduct aviation businesses on the Northern Rivers. We met with the Mayor and the Council Manager of Commercial Services on 13/7/21 to discuss these concerns, and unfortunately we were advised in writing on 19/7/21 that Council will not reconsider this fee structure. Interestingly, their response noted that "We would like to continue to see your business prosper in the Lismore Local Government Area", however their actions are completely contradictory to this statement. 

In terms of the noise issues, the community may also not be aware that our company has had a Fly Neighbourly Procedure in place for a number of years, and we put significant effort and cost into managing issues such as aircraft noise and to accommodate known noise issues (within the limitations imposed by the operational requirements imposed by CASA and Airservices Australia, and within the limitations of safety and traffic avoidance), and that we have a documented history of constructive interactions with noise complainants, including the Residents Action Group mentioned above. We are often reviewing and amending our operating procedures to accommodate these issues, and we provide Council with copies of our written responses to noise complainants, so they are aware of these interactions and our efforts to mitigate the issues. We have provided our support to the Council motion for community consultation around noise mitigation and Fly Neighbourly procedures.

The community may also not be aware that are one of the very few aircraft operators in Australia that voluntarily offset our entire aviation fuel carbon emissions.

The petition

The purpose of this petition is to provide a counter perspective regarding the value of the Lismore Regional Airport, and the businesses that operate at the airport, to the Lismore community. If not satisfactorily addressed, the issues above will result in a loss of aviation business from Lismore Airport, with the loss of many skilled jobs and a loss of significant economic activity from Lismore. Unfortunately, due to a reluctance by Lismore City Council to reconsider their position, it is now uneconomical for us to remain at Lismore and we are already looking for alternative locations to conduct our business.

Please sign this petition if you are concerned about the potential loss of aviation businesses from Lismore Airport, and the subsequent loss of jobs and economic activity from Lismore, that will result if these issues are not promptly and satisfactorily addressed by Lismore City Council. We would like to present this petition to Council, and also to election candidates, prior to the Local Government elections scheduled for 4/9/21.