Anti-aircraft noise protest

By Liam Mitchell SYDNEY — Approximately 800 people rallied at Tempe Reserve on November 5 as part of the ongoing campaign against aircraft noise in southern Sydney suburbs. The rally, organised by the coalition of 13 councils that formed to organise protests against the third runway in 1994, was followed by a cavalcade of cars led by council trucks to the airport terminals. ALP Marrickville mayor Barry Cotter spoke amid jeers and heckling from anti-aircraft and community activists concerned that he has not done enough to oppose the third runway, particularly his support for the federal government's minimalist help to Sydenham residents. The sale of Tempe Reserve to the state government for use for the east-west link between airports, another of Cotter's ideas, also came in for heavy criticism. Tempe Reserve is used by the local community as a major recreation and sporting ground. Maire Sheehan, the recently elected No Aircraft Noise mayor of Leichhardt was given a positive welcome as she condemned the federal government's inaction. She criticised the PM and transport minister Laurie Brereton for only insulating houses instead of solving the noise problem. "It is not enough to shut people up in sealed boxes, cutting them off from the outside environment while degrading that environment." Sheehan also demanded that the government end its plans to privatise the airport and to "stop protecting the interests of those businesses ahead of the community".