Fly Buy Cities: Some Planning Aspects of Airport Privatisation in Australia

Neo-liberalism has been a dominant economic and political paradigm for several decades, legitimising the privatisation, deregulation and marketisation of many public services. The leasing of Australia's capital city airports by the Commonwealth Government to private operators exemplifies this trend. Since the late 1990s, airport companies have moved to commodify uncommitted land assets for diverse commercial developments. These trends raise important planning issues through impacts on property markets, infrastructure provision, traffic and the environment. Yet under the relevant legislation, ultimate development approval remains solely with the Commonwealth Government, with both local and state planning authorities excluded. This article presents preliminary findings on an investigation into planning aspects of non-aeronautical commercial development of major airports in Australia.