Concerns have been raised over flight restrictions at the new Western Sydney International Airport
Intrigued? We got a sneak peek at the huge new airport.
Unlike the current Sydney Airport in Mascot, which is bound by a curfew stopping flights from 11pm to 6am to minimise noise pollution, WSI has pre-approval to operate around the clock. However, despite its ambitious plans to become a major international hub, it faces a big hurdle – its designation as a primary gateway airport.
Under bilateral flight agreements, foreign airlines that have already hit their cap on Sydney flights won't be able to land at WSI. Qatar Airways is one of the international carriers caught up in these rules. Secondary airports like Darwin and Adelaide aren't bound by these laws, leading industry leaders to call for an urgent review of the rules.
WSI is expected to handle 10 million passengers annually, with room to expand significantly in the future. With Western Sydney's population set to hit 3.2 million within a decade, the new airport hopes to improve accessibility for locals and international travellers alike.
So far, only Singapore Airlines has committed to flying in and out of WSI. Qantas and Jetstar have signed on for domestic flights, with 15 aircraft to be based there, servicing major Australian cities like Melbourne, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast. However, Qantas won't be able to launch its much-anticipated Bali route – at least, not yet – due to the same restrictions.
The good news? WSI's status will be reviewed. The next federal government will evaluate its designation after a year of operation, with a growing number of experts and officials pushing for more flexible regulations. While the focus for now is on getting WSI 100 per cent complete, all eyes will be on the 12-month review, which could determine its role on the global stage.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Radical tax and retirement proposal that could affect every Aussie: What you need to know
Public servants within Anthony Albanese 's own government have suggested access to the age pension needs to be wound back for wealthy baby boomers because it's too costly. The Department of Social Services - in an incoming brief to new Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek - suggested lower-income Australians were paying for the lifestyles of the rich, who were living off the age pension under existing rules exempting the family home from the assets test. 'Low-and-middle income taxpayers are subsidising the retirement incomes of seniors with significant wealth in addition to their homes,' it said. The departmental brief, prepared independently of the new Labor minister's office, noted couples could still receive the age pension even as they continued to earn six-figure annual incomes from their investments. 'Age pension continues to be payable to couples with income of almost $100,000 a year or assets of almost $1.05million, in addition to their principal home of unlimited value,' it said. The department said this was unfair compared with the treatment of the unemployed, who had to wait 13 weeks to receive JobSeeker if they had more than $11,500 in the bank. A spokeswoman for Ms Plibersek said the government had no plans to impose a stricter assets test for the age pension. 'The government appreciates independent, frank and fearless advice from its agencies,' she told Daily Mail Australia. The Department of Social Services - in an incoming brief to new Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek (pictured) - suggested lower-income Australians were paying for the lifestyles of the rich, living off the age pension under existing rules exempting the family home from the assets test 'The government has no plans to include the family home in the pension assets test.' This is despite Treasury forecasting an 'expected increase in the number of age pension recipients as the Australian population ages'. More than $109billion is set to be spent on aged care in 2025-26 as government spending as a proportion of the economy hits the highest level since 1986 outside of Covid. Capital gains tax discount Ahead of the government's Economic Reform Roundtable next month, Westpac chief economist Luci Ellis has suggested scrapping the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount, introduced in 1999, because it fuelled property market speculation and made houses unaffordable. 'There is a lot of prior work pointing out the incentives to speculate in property created by discounted CGT,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'The issue is that discounting CGT, as currently, means that people would rather have capital gains than cash income from an investment. 'So it means people are better off from a tax perspective buying an existing property than investing in a business or some other productivity-enhancing investment.' Ms Ellis, a former assistant governor at the Reserve Bank of Australia, has proposed replacing the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount with indexation fixed at 2.5 per cent, or the mid-point of the RBA's two to three per cent inflation target. 'This is easier to calculate and doesn't require people to know the history of inflation to calculate their tax liability,' she said. 'My proposal to instead charge full marginal tax rate on CGT will eliminate the incentive to favour capital-gains-producing investments over productivity-boosting ones.' Ms Ellis' call to axe the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount, on behalf of Westpac Economics, is shared by grassroots group Labor for Housing and the Greens. She put that view last week to teal MP Allegra Spender's tax roundtable in Canberra, but Labor had ruled out that option in Opposition after losing the 2016 and 2019 elections with that policy. Her call on the capital gains tax is not the view of the Westpac Banking Group, which is this week putting in a separate submission to the government's Economic Reform Roundtable. With only deficits forecast in coming years, the Department of Social Services noted funding welfare for the elderly would be a financial challenge, with the proportion of Australians older than 65 increasing by 31 per cent since 2000. Almost two-thirds, or 65 per cent, of people aged 65 and over receive income support payments, with 92 per cent of them getting the age pension. Australians can access the age pension at 67. 'Australia's demographics are evolving and will have broader implications for fiscal and social policy and demands for services,' the department said. 'Life expectancy is rising, and fertility rates are declining, reducing the working age population and influencing family composition and structures.' The department also suggested Australia would continue relying on high immigration so there was tax revenue from a working age population to support older Australians. 'Overseas migration is expected to continue to support population growth, offsetting demographic and economic challenges to some extent, as higher immigration correlates with higher tax revenue and increases in working-age population,' it said. Unaffordable housing was likely to see younger generations become increasingly reliant on their parents for housing. 'Concerns of intergenerational inequalities are growing, and young people's circumstances are falling short of their expectations,' the Department of Social Services said. 'As more rely on family for financial support and/or housing well into adulthood, they experience delayed milestones including education, employment, family, and home ownership. 'Many also struggle with compounding and competing responsibilities of paid employment and unpaid care. 'This has implications on household incomes, workforce participation, gender equality, and may have greater social, economic, and intergenerational ramifications.'
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Huge '$25 cap' cost of living change to help millions of Aussies pay for an everyday staple
Australians will pay no more than $25 for selected medicines for the first time in more than 20 years under a proposal to be brought before parliament. It will be the second cap on medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) introduced by the Albanese government in three years, after it cut the maximum price of PBS prescriptions from $42.50 to $30. 'The size of your bank balance shouldn't determine the quality of your health care,' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. 'My government will continue to deliver cost-of-living relief for all Australians.' PBS medicines would be capped at $7.70 for pensioners and concession card holders until 2030. The bill's introduction is largely a formality, with its passage through the lower house all but assured thanks to Labor's massive 94-seat majority in the 150-seat House of Representatives. The election promise is the Albanese government's next priority after it introduced childcare safety and HECS debt reduction legislation. Federal Labor has been talking up plans to strengthen the PBS amid concerns the scheme will be targeted as a bargaining chip in US trade negotiations to ward off threatened pharmaceutical tariffs. Albanese has repeatedly said the scheme was not up for negotiation. Australia eased its biosecurity restrictions on US beef imports last week, but the prime minister has denied the move was linked to US trade talks. He noted the decision followed a 10-year review of Australian biosecurity rules. Beyond new legislation, conflict in the Middle East will likely prompt fierce debate on the parliamentary floor after Albanese said Israel had breached international law by blocking the flow of food aid into Gaza. 'Quite clearly, it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which was a decision that Israel made in March,' Albanese told ABC's Insiders on Sunday. He stopped short of saying Australia would join France in recognising a Palestinian state, but said his government would decide at 'an appropriate time'. 'Hamas can have no role in a future state,' he said. 'Hamas are a terrorist organisation who I find, their actions are abhorrent.' Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Albanese failed to adequately condemn the role of the group in the ongoing conflict. The government is also likely to come under pressure regarding transparency when parliament resumes, after a Centre for Public Integrity probe revealed only a quarter of freedom of information request responses returned by the government in 2023-24 were un-redacted. By comparison, the Morrison government returned almost half of its FOI requests as complete documents in 2021/22.
Time Out
8 hours ago
- Time Out
We're (finally) making moves: Australia just achieved its best gender equality ranking in history
Australia still has a long road ahead when it comes to gender equality – but we're all about celebrating the small wins. This year, we've climbed from 24th to 13th place in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report. It's our highest-ever ranking out of 148 countries, and proof that we're heading in the right direction. Now in its 19th edition, the 2025 Global Gender Gap Index tracks countries against four key benchmarks: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Australia's 13th-place ranking marks our best performance since the report launched in 2006, and is a huge leap from our record-low 50th place in 2021. Australia's rise in the rankings was largely driven by improvements in political empowerment, where we placed 19th overall – including 30th for the percentage of women in parliament and eighth for women in ministerial roles. We also came 32nd in economic participation and opportunity, with standout results in labour-force participation (21st) and the proportion of professional and technical workers (joint first), where the gender gap was just 9.78 per cent. When it comes to education, Australia scored top marks – ranking joint first in literacy, primary education and university enrolment. However, our overall ranking of 79th in this category was dragged down by lower enrolment rates in secondary education. We also have progress to make in the health and survival category, with Australia slipping from 88th to 96th, driven by women facing a lower healthy life expectancy. Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said, 'Whether it is investing in women's wages and economic opportunities, investing in sexual and reproductive healthcare, or investing in policies to address women's safety and tackling gender-based violence, our government is backing up words with action…However, we know there is always more work to do, and this report will help to inform our work on gender equality over the next three years.' While not reflected in this year's report, the May election saw the first majority-women cabinet in Australian history and the highest proportion of women in government, including 56 per cent of Labor reps. Iceland retained its top spot on the Global Gender Gap Index for the 16th year running, followed by Finland, Norway, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. And while the global gender gap has narrowed to 68.8 per cent, the report estimates it will still take around 123 years to reach full equality. These are the 15 best countries for gender equality Iceland Finland Norway United Kingdom New Zealand Sweden Republic of Moldova Namibia Germany Ireland Estonia Spain Australia Denmark Barbados Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Australia newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. 🏝️ Fun fact: Australia has 8,222 islands — and you probably never knew they existed ✈️ Australia has one of the most powerful passports in the entire world for 2025 🥳
