The prime minister’s decision to award hosting rights of the 2014 G20 summit to Brisbane has flared up concerns about capacity restrictions at Sydney Airport.
Julia Gillard cited concerns about Sydney’s airport capacity as one of the reasons for her selection of Brisbane instead, saying the airport was under “a lot of day-to-day pressure”.
But the Tourism Industry Council NSW branded her comments “outrageous.”
“Her own government policy limits the flexibility of day-to-day operations by legislation that specifies an hourly movement cap at our nation’s major gateway,” general manager Andrew Jefferies said.
“Notwithstanding this piece of legislation, we believe that Sydney did have the capacity to manage the influx of world leaders for this summit.”
He referred to past events such as the Olympics and the Pope.
Meanwhile, minister for infrastructure and transport Anthony Albanese insisted the whole of Australia would benefit from Brisbane’s hosting of the summit.
“Australia will be showcased, not just Brisbane,” he said. “There’ll be people visiting other cities as well and there will, of course, be activity generated through the Australian economy.”
