Note: Words appearing in bold have the meaning assigned to them at PART B – DEFINITIONS.

Part A – Conditions specific to the action

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAM (EMP)

1. To monitor impacts on environmental values due to aircraft noise, the approval holder must prepare and submit an EMP to the Minister for Infrastructure for approval. The EMP must be prepared by an independent and suitably qualified expert and informed by consultation with First Nations Traditional Owners and First Nations knowledge holders, and other stakeholders.
2. The EMP must consider the Environmental Management Plan Guidelines and, at a minimum, include:
   1. A risk-based assessment method to identify environmental values at most of risk of impact due to aircraft noise.
   2. Detail of noise monitoring to be undertaken to measure aircraft noise within and adjacent to the Greater Blue Mountains Area (GBMA).
   3. A commitment to consider the EMP and monitoring data in future reviews of noise abatement procedures and flight path modification.
3. The approval holder must not commence the action until the EMP has been approved by the Minister for Infrastructure in writing. At a minimum, the approved EMP must be implemented between the following periods of the action (inclusive):
   1. 30 January 2026 and 30 January 2031; and
   2. 30 January 2045 and 30 January 2055.
4. The approval holder must engage an independent and suitably qualified expert to review the EMP to assess its effectiveness in identifying and monitoring impacts to environmental values prior to the end of each of the periods of the action as specified in Condition 3. Each review of the EMP must be informed by consultation with First Nations Traditional Owners and First Nations knowledge holders, and other stakeholders.
5. The approval holder must publish the EMP on its website within 20 business days of the date that the EMP was approved by the Minister for Infrastructure, or updated due to a review, and keep the EMP (or subsequent version) published for the duration (or remaining period) of the action.
6. By 30 March each year, commencing on 30 March 2027, the approval holder must publish any and all monitoring data for the previous calendar year on its website. All monitoring data must remain published on the website for the duration of the action.

Part B – Definitions

In these conditions, any bolded use of a word or term refers to the below definition of that word or term:

Airport Lessee Company (ALC) means the company that is granted a lease over the Airport Site, being either WSA Co Limited or its successor.

Airports Act means the Airports Act 1996 (Cth).

Aircraft Noise means engine and airframe noise generated in flight by aircraft approaching or departing the Western Sydney International Airport.

Business days means days that are not a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday in New South Wales.

Calendar year means the 12-month period between and including 1 January to 31 December.

Commencement of the action means the day on which the first commercial flight departs Western Sydney International Airport.

Environmental Management Plan Guidelines means the Environmental Management Plan (Commonwealth of Australia, 2024), available at: www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/epbc/publications/environmental-management-plan-guidelines.

Environmental values mean the elements of the ‘environment’ as defined under section 528 of the EPBC Act, including but not limited to First Nations cultural values, fauna and any other Outstanding Universal Values of the Greater Blue Mountains Area (GBMA).

EPBC Act means the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth).

First Nations cultural values mean sites that possess First Nations heritage value or places that connect First Nations peoples to culture and practices.

First Nations knowledge holder means someone who has gained recognition within their community as a custodian of knowledge and lore, and who has permission to disclose cultural knowledge and beliefs.

First Nations Traditional Owner means an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person, or group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, directly descended from the original Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inhabitants of a culturally defined area of land or Country, and has a cultural association with this Country that derives from the traditions, observances, customs, beliefs or history of the original Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inhabitants of the area.

Greater Blue Mountains Area (GBMA) means the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage property, Dossier No. 917, as inscribed by the World Heritage Committee on the World Heritage List in 2000. The GBMA was also inscribed on the National Heritage List in 2007.

Independent means a person or firm who does not have any individual, financial*, employment* or family affiliation or any conflicting interests with the project, the approval holder or the approval holder's staff, representatives, or associated persons.

Impact means to have an effect on.

Minister for Infrastructure means the Australian Government Minister responsible for administering the Airports Act, including any delegate thereof.

Monitoring data means the data required to be recorded under these conditions over a 12-month period.

Outstanding Universal Value means cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity.

Stakeholders means people who have knowledge of the environmental values, including but not limited to Commonwealth agencies, NSW government agencies, local councils, the GBMA World Heritage Advisory Committee and species experts.

Suitably qualified experts mean people who have relevant professional qualifications and at least 5 years of demonstrated experience relevant to the task in question.

Website means a set of related webpages located under a single domain name attributed to the approval holder or ALC, and available to the public.

Western Sydney International Airport means the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, located at Badgerys Creek, NSW.