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About Us

View from passenger plane window behind wing

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:

  • handling of complaints
  • community consultation processes relating to aircraft noise
  • presentation and distribution of aircraft noise-related information.

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.

What does the ANO do?

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.

Previous Charters

Who is the Ombudsman?

Mr Kieran Pehm is the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman. His term commenced on 9 February 2020 and concludes on 8 February 2025.

Previous Aircraft Noise Ombudsmen

  • Ms Narelle Bell: 8 February 2017 to 8 February 2020
  • Mr Ron Brent: 1 September 2010 to 7 February 2017

What can you expect?

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.

ANO Policies

While not all internal policies of the ANO are available publicly, the following are published here for transparency: