Fight to shut Essendon Airport reignited after tragedy, Helen van den Berg speaks with Neil Mitchell

The push to close Essendon Airport has been reignited following Tuesday’s tragedy which claimed five lives.

Helen van den Berg has been a long-time advocate for shutting the airport and said people were at risk every day, given the increasing proximity of the runway to homes and shops.

She told Neil Mitchell the government simply didn’t care.

‘We’re expendable ? I don’t think anybody thinks we matter,’ she said on 3AW Mornings.

‘That’s how it feels.’

Ms van den Berg said she couldn’t turn on the TV or radio when she first heard about Tuesday’s tragedy.

‘I was too distressed,’ she said.

‘It’s very distressing to hear people are losing their lives in such a horrible manner when you know that they haven’t been given a fair chance to land safely in a crisis.’

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Chris Cowan is the CEO of Essendon Fields and spoke with Neil Mitchell.

‘We’ve done a lot of work to get close to the community to understand their concerns,’ he said.

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