Perth Airport fires back at ‘misinformation’ spread by City of Canning councillor

PERTH Airport has accused a City of Canning councillor of spreading “misinformation” about their proposed new runway project.

Councillor Jesse Jacobs distributed 50,000 leaflets to residents throughout the City of Canning to encourage residents to comment on the airport’s draft Major Development Plan before public consultation closes on August 24.

The leaflets said the proposed new runway project would actually involve moving the current cross-runway and pointing it towards suburbs such as Welshpool, Queens Park, Cannington and Ferndale.

Cr Jacobs said he was disappointed the City of Canning had been singled out by the airport and said he believed keeping the current cross-runway would be in the airport’s best interests.

“I am not anti-development of Perth Airport, but I am against the airport singling out our area of Canning for decades of sound bombing,” he said.

“I propose that Perth Airport, for the sake of the project, seriously consider keeping the cross-runway and study the Sydney model which stipulates that the cross runway is used at least 19 per cent of the time.”

However, a Perth Airport spokeswoman rebuked Cr Jacobs’ comments.

“Perth Airport provided a special briefing on the full details of the project to the City of Canning in May. Cr Jacobs did not attend this briefing,” she said.

“His comments are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the proposed project. No decision has been made on the future of the cross-runway.

“Cr Jacobs’ views are not supported by the independent consultants report commissioned by the City of Canning at his request.

“We also welcome the City of Canning recently distancing itself from the misinformation contained in a flyer recently distributed by Cr Jacobs.”

The City of Canning made a statement on their Facebook page confirming they were not involved in the production of the councillor’s pamphlets.

In response, Cr Jacobs said he had a clash of commitments on the night of the special briefing and as the City of Canning council representative to the Perth Airports Municipalities Group, felt he was well-informed of the developments.