Page 1430 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 11 May 1994
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important thing for us to consider. If we can attract those people to Canberra as part of their visit to Australia it will assist us in meeting repayments on capital that may be borrowed and so forth.
We are not necessarily talking about a government saying, "We will buy the airport and then, using our capital works funds over a period of years, we will expand it into an international facility as demand is able to be demonstrated or as a proper development plan emerges, such as the Port of Cairns Authority developed in 1982". There may be ways to fund the acquisition and the expansion of a facility here in Canberra through a non-budget process. The test, Mr Stevenson, about whether or not you will get great support to the level that your enthusiasm would require will depend to a very large extent on the outcomes of the Commonwealth scoping study. That should be known, as I understand it, some time towards the end of this year. The Commonwealth has indicated that it will then go through a very long process, but a very appropriate process, in assessing the outcomes of that scoping study. That will, I think, give us the impetus to address the economic issues; but there is the fundamental issue that must be addressed as part of this process. You do not want to build the road to Damascus - - - (Extension of time not granted)
MR KAINE (4.00): I have no hesitation in saying that I totally support the matter of public importance that is before us, and there are a few things I would like to say about it. I am not going to get into the statistics, because they have been amply put forward by Mr Westende, the Chief Minister and Mr Stevenson, who talked about B747s and passenger numbers.
Mr De Domenico: And terminations.
MR KAINE: Yes. I wondered for a while whether we were talking about "Euthanasia Airlines". There are some general comments that I would like to make. Given that I think we all support the proposition that we ought to have an international airport, perhaps the timescale is something that we would debate. I would like to see it long before the Sydney Olympics. I would like to see it next year.
I would like to make some comments about the practicality of our achieving that objective, and I do so with some knowledge and long acquaintance with the situation at Canberra Airport. In 1954, when, with one or two exceptions, probably nobody in this room other than me was born, I was responsible - - -
Mr Stevenson: Nineteen when?
MR KAINE: In 1954. I was responsible for the total base maintenance of RAAF Fairbairn as it then was. I was the landlord and I was totally responsible for the maintenance and management of the base. It was a totally RAAF-owned base. 86 Wing of the Royal Australian Air Force transport wing operated out of there with three squadrons of aircraft. Occasionally a commercial airliner would come in, and it landed on this side where the terminals are today. In 1964 I spent another year there at the air force's staff college. In 1974 I was discharged from the air force at that base. In 1994 I fly from there regularly in my little Piper Warrior. I think I can say that I know the base pretty well, and I have known it pretty well over a long period of years.
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