As David Shoebridge points out, the only business case on record is based on the 2004 and 2010 projections together with celebration of the start-up jet services.

However there was NO assessment of the cause of 2 airlines ceasing to operate presented to Council at the meeting which agreed to pursue the Biocertification  of the land adjoining the airport.

Cr Justin Levido refutes Shoebridge’s claim that the whole thing is a waste of $50,000,000 of taxpayers’ money citing present day passenger numbers at Port Macquarie Airport. Levido points out passenger numbers doubled over the past 10 years – 225,000 passengers in 2016 compared to 112,000 passengers in 2006.

But therein lies Shoebridge’s point- a doubling of passenger numbers still saw the failure of two small jet services. People have even commented on trips with only half the seats filled.

So what will you get with a bigger plane? You may get a plane with a quarter of the seats occupied. Where is the business case?

Cr Levido attempts to then assure residents that the NSW Government  Biocertification measures for mitigation will be satisfied with the conservation of 444ha. of native vegetation including 350 ha. of koala habitat.

I asked OEH officers and PMHC representatives in a meeting whether there will be resident koalas in the offset trees and they said they did not know.

OEH are currently assessing the Biocertification Application and do not know whether there are koalas there which will resent intruders or whether those particular koala food trees are often unpalatable due to soil type or moisture levels in the leaves.

Because the extension of the airstrip to the south there is now a narrow strip for the eastern koalas to access the Thrumster region.

When I was about to expose the situation of translocation in Victoria where the practice has been discontinued due to the high rate of deaths from koalas trying to return home PMHC stated they would no longer translocate koalas to those offset areas and instead clear the 100 ha.in stages of 5 ha. over 20 years. That would mean the replacement of prime habitat will take 40 years.

Of course if a “like for like” offset with no net loss is not able to be achieved Council can always pay the “blood money “ to OEH and the NSW Government’s rules will be satisfied. This is the system the councillor assures us will protect our koalas.

Cr Levido says Council does not expect further decline in koala numbers despite removal of key “engine room” habitat while an ecologist has warned Council of complete local extinction within 50 years even without the removal of this key habitat!

As for the rest of the 444 ha. a third of two State and Regional Biolinks will be trashed. You might ask how will those protected links still work?

I was told by OEH that there will be ropes to the trees at the southern end of the airstrip for gliders etc to cross after the heavily cropped trees are poisoned. 

The Biocertification Application states the Endangered Ecological Community (EEC) will be changed to another type of EEC without trees but in the meantime owls and other raptors will use the hollows until the poisoned trees rot into the ground, and the proponent will claim credits!

John Jeayes, Port Macquarie