Avalon to take off
Campaigners efforts have at last paid off
AN international airport at Avalon has the potential to become an economic powerhouse for our region and for all of south- west Victoria.
That’s why, before the 2010 Federal election, the Coalition committed to making Avalon international if elected. As did Labor.
The announcement that Avalon has finally been given Defence Department consent to build an international passenger terminal is a critical first step in opening up our region to the world.
It is a credit to airport owner Linfox’s persistence and several believers in the Geelong region who have championed this project for years.
Yet, as I have written in these pages before, Avalon should not have been forced to endure its epic struggle for so long.
It is, frankly, a sorry indictment on the Gillard Labor Government’s commitment to local jobs, investment and economic growth.
Labor still has not explained the threats to Australia’s national interest which, apparently, justified its decision to deny landing rights to Malaysian budget carrier, AirAsia X in 2008.
Since this time, Avalon has battled red tape and inaction in its quest to construct a new passenger terminal.
As we have seen, our local Federal MPs, Richard Marles and Darren Cheeseman, got it completely wrong.
They argued, incorrectly, that Avalon first needed to attract an international airline before government could act.
What airline would enter into an agreement without the commercial certainty of an international passenger terminal?
What airline would trust this government after what it did to AirAsia X in 2008?
If there had been the political will and the unrelenting determination to make this happen, Avalon’s lease agreement with Defence could have been amended 2 1⁄2 years ago.
When Avalon CEO, Justin Giddings, wrote to Defence Minister Stephen Smith in October last year pleading for some common sense, it took seven months just to get a reply. This is utterly unacceptable. It is no wonder that in June this year, Linfox chairman, Lindsay Fox, declared open war with Labor on this issue.
At a Liberal Party fundraiser organised by the Barwon Region Professionals branch, he spoke of his utter exasperation at how difficult it was to do business with the Gillard Government and facilitate Avalon’s development.
Our community petition to Make Avalon International has played an important role in forcing Labor to act. It has already garnered more than 1000 signatures and will continue.
My work is not done in holding this government to account. It still needs to commit resources to Avalon to establish customs and the other border agencies.
Contrast this sorry saga with the Victorian Government’s $50 million commitment to developing a rail link to Avalon.
The Baillieu Government under- stands that opening up a second international gateway to Victoria requires major investment in infrastructure and real vision.
This is the same vision, which underpins the Federal Coalition’s $ 1.5 billion commitment to the East West road link in Melbourne. This is a road that would take substantial pressure off the West Gate bridge and make it easier for Geelong workers to commute to Melbourne. In politics, vision is important. And so is a government that is prepared to realise its vision, quickly and competently.