Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
17%
3 of 18 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
61/100
The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Gina Rinehart’s company Hancock Prospecting has taken its fight to build a helipad atop its West Perth headquarters to the State Administrative Tribunal after it was knocked back by the local council.
asserted
it → take → council
The City of Perth grounded plans for the helipad at the Ord Street building in December, despite two councillors backing the idea of a helicopter landing in the city precinct, and the lord mayor describing Rinehart as an “amazing Australian”.
asserted
mayor → ground → Australian
Opposition to the helipad stemmed from concerns over noise, whether it was conducive with the area’s existing planning scheme, and whether allowing the CBD’s first private-use helipad would set an undesirable precedent.
asserted
allowing → stem → precedent
The area, in West Perth, is an office and residential precinct, with the City of Perth flagging nearby sites could accommodate more residents in the future.
uncertain
sites → flag → future
But Ord Street Holdings counsel Grant Donaldson, KC, in his opening statement in SAT on Monday, argued the helipad would only be used in “daylight hours” between midday and 7pm up to 12 times a year for “occasional corporate transport”.
asserted
helipad → open → transport
“That’s 144 minutes per annum, that equates to the sound of an electric kettle boiling for six minutes, once every fortnight, between the hours of noon and 7pm,” he said.
asserted
he → ’ → noon
“This case boils down to what negative impact is this use going to have on the objects of the current or new scheme?”
asserted
use → boil → scheme
The mining giant has previously likened Perth to Tokyo and New York as a “global city”, saying “rooftop helipads are commonplace across the world’s leading cities, and our proposal would elevate Perth’s status”.
asserted
proposal → liken → status
But City of Perth barrister Tim Houweling said the fundamental issue in the case was noise.
asserted
issue → say → case
Neighbouring buildings have also objected to the helipad.
asserted
buildings → object → helipad
The Child and Adolescent Health Service made a submission to the City of Perth stating that sudden, intermittent helicopter noise could interrupt testing of children with conditions including autism, sensory issues, ADHD or anxiety.
uncertain
noise → make → autism
The submission also raised concerns that its roof is old and made of asbestos, and helicopter downwash could disrupt the asbestos dust that has settled.
uncertain
that → raise → dust
After the council initially refused the helipad application, Hancock Prospecting lodged a revised development plan outlining a new flight path, in a bid to get the request over the line.
asserted
Prospecting → refuse → line
Previous plans had the helicopter approaching from the east or west of the eye-popping five-storey headquarters, in a route that would have seen it come down over the inner-city suburb of Subiaco or a mix of residential and office buildings in West Perth.
asserted
it → have → Perth
Instead, the new flight path has the eight-seat Bell 429 helicopter approaching the building from the south-west, tracking Thomas Street on the outer fringe of Perth’s CBD botanic garden Kings Park, before turning and descending once it reaches Ord Street.
asserted
it → have → Street
A Hancock Prospecting spokesperson said the company’s original application was “developed with expert input and independent technical analysis which confirmed the helipad and flight path can operate safely and appropriately”.
asserted
helipad → say → input
“However, as part of our extensive good faith efforts to reach agreement with the City of Perth, we have proposed an amended flight path and further reduced the proposed operating timeframes,” they said.
asserted
they → reach → timeframes
SAT judge Henry Jackson is presiding over the appeal, and will make a ruling on the helipad at the conclusion of the two-day trial which will hear from acoustic and planning experts.
asserted
which → preside → experts
The Aporia
