The Aircraft Noise Ombudsman (ANO) was established in September 2010 following a proposal outlined in the Australian government aviation policy paper: Aviation White Paper ‘Flight Path to the Future.
In January 2015, the ANO, Airservices and Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding and amended the ANO Charter to extend the ANO role to provide an independent complaints and review mechanism for Defence.
The role of the ANO is to conduct independent administrative reviews of Airservices’ and Defence’s management of aircraft noise. This includes:
The ANO is independent of Airservices and Defence executive management structures, and reports directly to the Airservices’ Board or Chief of Air Force as appropriate.
The ANO has been established to conduct independent administrative reviews of Airservices Australia and how it handles aircraft noise-related activities, such as the handling of complaints / enquiries, community consultation processes, and the presentation and distribution of aircraft noise-related information.
The ANO Charter outlines how the ANO will operate, including powers and duties, appointment terms, who is eligible to lodge a complaint, the types of complaints the ANO can consider, how the ANO reviews complaints and the types of recommendations the ANO can make. The Charter ensures that the ANO is independent and is not subject to direction by the Airservices’ Board or Defence staff.
Mr Kieran Pehm is the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman. He was reappointed for a two year term ending on 8 February 2027.
You can expect to have your complaint carefully considered; we will explain clearly any reasons for our decisions, conclusions and recommendations. The ANO Service Charter outlines in detail what you can expect from the ANO when you lodge a complaint or contact the office.
While not all internal policies of the ANO are available publicly, the following are published here for transparency:
The Aircraft Noise Ombudsman acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.