Thursday, 9 September 2021

Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries)

I rise to acknowledge the centenary of Essendon Fields airport, a birthday being celebrated throughout 2021. Essendon Fields airport has a long and proud history of serving our community. Since its humble beginnings as a grass-all-over airfield, this airport has grown into a thriving precinct encompassing many businesses that provide for our community, with the airport at its heart. As Melbourne’s first domestic and international airport, Essendon Fields was Victoria’s aviation gateway to the world, welcoming many international guests, celebrities and aviation pioneers. Famous visitors from around the world landed at Essendon—from aviators like Charles Kingsford Smith to musicians Roy Orbison, the Beach Boys and the Beatles. These events helped to shape our cultural identity, as Essendon Fields opened up Victoria to the world. Famous arrivals live on fondly in the memory of those who were in attendance, stories passed down from generation to generation.

It has been extraordinary to see the growth and development of Essendon Fields, particularly since 2001 when it was privatised, with new development and investment transforming this site into a thriving multipurpose precinct and community hub. Essendon Fields now has over 6000 people employed in the precinct, with future planning estimating that number could grow to as many as 20 000 by 2040.

It is a credit to the vision and commitment to sustainability and community engagement of the Essendon Fields team that this once modest precinct has grown into the state-of-the-art destination it is today.

The Victoria Police air wing and the air ambulance service find their homes at Essendon Fields and incredibly one-third of all movements at the facility involve emergency services. In the last 12 months air ambulance services has seen 10 000 movements out of Essendon Fields, while the police air wing has had nearly 4000. During the 2019–20 bushfires Essendon Fields became a critical hub for firefighting, recovery and relief efforts. The airport facilitated evacuations and repatriation flights, including a repatriation flight of 350 evacuees from Mallacoota on Australia Day 2020. The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Essendon Fields Dialysis Centre is located at Essendon Fields too, providing renal dialysis to hundreds of patients per year who get access to the amazing outlook onto the airfields while undertaking treatment.

This amazing multipurpose facility provides essential support for our community in many different ways. Congratulations to all on this milestone. Long live Essendon Fields airport.