The Moorabbin Airport Residents' Association was formed 14 years ago to address the concerns of the City of Kingston residents affected by Moorabbin Airport.  Our President since its inception, Tom Uren, (Kingston Citizen of the Year 2005) attends meetings of the Moorabbin Airport Corporation Consultative Committee to present those views and concerns. 

Tom will be standing down as President at the end of the year and we need a committed member of the Community to take his place.  Without people willing to take over these roles, the Association may be forced to go into abeyance.

Some of the concerns are:

SAFETY - Since  inception MARA has aired its deep concern to the Moorabbin Airport Corporation, (MAC), regarding the Airport location in a densely built-up suburban area.  There have been a number of 'near miss' incidents and the latest aircraft crash in August, 2008, (after mid-air contact with another aircraft), narrowly missed a Primary School and fell onto a home garage in the middle of suburban Cheltenham.  Had the second plane also crashed, the outcome would have been horrendous. 

In August, 2010, a plane crashed into a Mordialloc backyard. Police said the four-seater Cessna clipped the roof of a house and then crashed into another house at 240 Lower Dandenong Rd. It caused extensive damage and brought down powerlines before coming to a stop in the backyard. Police said it was lucky no one was home at the time. The plane ran out of fuel before crash landing, according to a Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokesman. Moorabbin airport is located behind the house. 

Mara has lobbied the Federal Govt. on safety issues for years. 

NOISE POLLUTION - For many years the level of discomfort due to the detrimental effect of incessant noise has negatively impacted on residents.  Their enjoyment of life, both inside and outside their homes, has diminished due to the ever-busier nature of circuit flight training, helicopter movements and commercial flights.  Despite appeals to all levels of Government, MARA has had little impact on achieving any improvements.

FORMER UNCONTROLLED  AND UNREGULATED LAND DEVELOPMENT – MAC is not subject to ANY Local or State Laws and Regulations. .   THEY WERE THEIR OWN PLANNING AUTHORITY. 

The current Minister for Transport has finally made them seek planning permission from the Federal Govt. who will (we assume) make sure they adhere to Local and State Planning Regulations. What has happened over the term of their lease is that huge areas of Airport land have been developed as factories, warehousing, office space and shopping centres.  (DFO is on Airport land.)  This uncontrolled building has made the airport less safe because there is little land for emergency landings. This is a legacy the residents must endure, whatever happens now in the future.

The latest encroachment of green area to be resumed by MAC is the Moorabbin Golf Course, situated along the eastern and southern perimeters of Airport land (very close to the runways).  No one knows what MAC is planning for this area.

The Golf Course was developed 40 years ago on Commonwealth Aircraft land by the local council as an area of recreation for the residents.  When the land was leased to MAC by the Commonwealth, no provision to retain the Golf Course was made. A "Save the Golf Course" group has been unsuccessful in appealing to the Commonwealth Government to overturn this.  Similar representations to Goodman Holdings - which MAC is a part of - to retain the Golf Course, as a gesture of appreciation for the profits they have made from their land development projects, have also been unsuccessful. 

JET SERVICES have been a possibility at the Airport for several years.  Paul Stoddard proposed to start his own Jet airline; fortunately the plan did not eventuate.  The use of the Airport for 60 and 100-seater jets would make a bad situation worse for residents.

A report of a Task Force on the future of Circuit Flying at Moorabbin (again at the Federal Minister’s behest) which was chaired by MAC and attended by Moorabbin Airport stakeholders (including our MARA President and the Dingley Village Community Association as representing residents and the community) has been compiled and presented to the Minister.  

We urge people to get involved.  Doing nothing and complaining about the situation regarding Safety and Noise is not defensible or reasonable.