Complaints

If you have a complaint about civilian aircraft noise, you should first contact:


If you have not been able to resolve your concerns directly with the agency, you can make a complaint to the ANO by filling out the online complaint form.

Alternatively, you can make a complaint by phone, email or mail.

Contact Us

Online Complaint Form

1800 266 040 (toll free)

ano@ano.gov.au


Aircraft Noise Ombudsman
GPO Box 1985
Canberra City ACT 2601

Accessibility services

If you are seeking to make a complaint and require an interpreter to speak with us, or you are assisting a speaker with limited English, the ANO can arrange access to a free interpreter service. The ANO uses the Australian Government Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS).  

For the ANO office to organise an interpreter, please email ano@ano.gov.au (preferred) or call 1800 266 040, to request an interpreter. In your request please include the language required and a preferred time for the ANO and interpreter to call you, between 9AM and 4PM Sydney time, Monday to Friday. 

 

If you are a person who is d/Deaf or hard of hearing, or has impaired speech, the National Relay Service offers a range of options to assist you to connect. This includes the TTY (Speak and Read) service which is available by phoning 133 677.

Please read the information below before making a complaint. 

Complaint submission guidelines

  • Anyone can lodge a complaint with the ANO.
  • You must have tried to resolve your complaint with Airservices or Defence first.
  • Your complaint must relate to Airservices or Defence management of aircraft noise such as:
    • the handling of your complaint or enquiry;
    • consultation with your community; or
    • how information about aircraft noise is presented or distributed.
  • Your complaint must relate to issues arising since 1 January 2010 for Airservices or 1 July 2014 for Defence.
  • You should focus on the main problems and facts.
  • You should provide enough details for the ANO to understand and review the problem but no more.
  • If you have relevant supporting documents such as correspondence between you and Airservices or Defence, include copies with your complaint.
  • Explain what happened when you tried to resolve your complaint with Airservices or Defence and why you are not satisfied with the outcome.
  • Use the same name, address and contact details as what you provided to Airservices or Defence,
    OR state in your ANO complaint that you used a pseudonym with the agency and what that was.
  • Be prepared to provide any additional information requested by the ANO.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in preparing your complaint

Generative AI, commonly known as AI, has become available in multiple forms across internet search engines, software and apps and is being used by complainants.

AI may create results that are inaccurate, fictitious or quite simply wrong. AI-assisted submissions have included references to fictitious legislation and erroneous references to publicly available documents such as Environmental Impact Statements. For example, the ANO has received a number of AI-assisted submissions which refer to the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman Act 2019. This legislation does not exist.

The Federal Court of Australia gives the following examples of the limitations of AI:

(a) fictitious cases, citations or quotes, or references to legal sources that do not exist by reason of hallucinations or for any other reason;

(b) incorrect or misleading information on the law or how it might apply;

(c) factual errors; and

(d) confirmation that information is accurate if asked, even when it is not.

If using AI you should carefully check text that it generates to ensure that it is accurate and properly reflects your complaint.

The ANO office does not utilise AI in the management or handling of complaints it receives. Your complaint will be considered, reviewed and responded to by a member of the ANO team.

Anyone can make a complaint to the ANO.

You need to have made a reasonable effort to resolve your complaint with Airservices or Defence first. 

You have a right to raise a complaint under your actual name, a pseudonym (a name that is not your legal name) or anonymously. Please be aware that using a pseudonym or being anonymous may limit the ANO’s ability to consider your concerns. The ANO will consider anonymous complaints unless it is impractical to do so. 

Note: If using a pseudonym, the ANO encourages you to use the same pseudonym with Airservices and/or Defence, and the ANO. This approach will enable the ANO to review any issues you may have with their handling of your complaints.

If you wish for your identity not to be shared with the agency of concern, please request this in your initial complaint to the ANO. We will endeavour to keep the identity of a complainant confidential, if asked to do so.

We can review:

  • how Airservices or Defence handled your aircraft noise complaint or inquiry.
  • how Airservices or Defence consulted your community about recent changes in aircraft noise.
  • how aircraft noise information is presented by Airservices or Defence.

We can only consider issues raised after 1 January 2010 for Airservices and after 1 July 2014 for Defence.

The ANO does not have power to direct the Government or any agency.  The ANO does make recommendations to improve the handling of Airservices’/Defence’s complaint handling and community engagement activities.

Before contacting us you must have made a reasonable effort to resolve your complaint with Airservices or Defence first.

We cannot:

  • review your complaint unless you have been to Airservices or Defence first.
  • consider a complaint that has already been reviewed by the ANO, unless there is significant new information.
  • undertake an internal review of the handling of a complaint by the ANO office, if it has been escalated to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
  • review an investigation of a complaint that has been undertaken by the Commonwealth Ombudsman or another resolution scheme.
  • review a complaint about matters not relating to noise –
    for example: unsafe operations, customer service of airline staff.
  • review issues raised before 1 January 2010 for Airservices or before 1 July 2014 for Defence.

You can expect:

  • an independent review of your complaint.
  • careful, professional and courteous attention to your complaint.
  • a confidential, free, fair and timely review of your complaint.
  • a clear explanation of what we can and cannot do and the decisions we make.

To help us review your complaint please:

  • list the main problems and facts.
  • include enough information, as well as any specific examples.
  • include copies of any letters or emails that may help us understand your complaint.
  • explain what happened when you tried to resolve your complaint with Airservices or Defence and why you are unhappy with the result.
  • be brief and focus on the main facts and problems.
  • give your name and contact details.
  • tell us what you want to be done.

We will let you know that we have received your complaint and you will be given a complaint reference number, if we determine your complaint is within our remit.

If your complaint is not accepted by the ANO, we will explain why we cannot review your complaint and refer you to the correct organisation, where possible.

During the review of your complaint:

  • we will request a copy of all correspondence between you and Airservices or Defence, from the relevant agency.
  • you may be asked for more information (by email, phone or mail) if needed.
  • Airservices or Defence may be asked to provide extra information or provide a response to the complaint. Any relevant details of your complaint will be sent to Airservices or Defence for their response.
  • if the complaint is a simple matter, we will let you know about the results of the review.
  • if the complaint is complicated and there are issues Airservices or Defence need to address, we may write a report (with recommendations if needed) which will be sent to the Board of Airservices or the Chief of the Airforce. We will let you know the results of the review and the recommendations we make.
  • we will keep you updated about the progress of your complaint.

Of those complaints accepted for review in the 2025-2026 financial year, 50% were closed within a month of submission and a further 46% by 3 months. The ANO aims to finalise all complaints within 12 months of submission. However it will depend on how complicated your complaint is and how much research we need to do.

During peak periods, there may also be a delay in your complaint being allocated to a member of the ANO team. The ANO team is allocated cases, based on the order that they are received.

We will keep you updated about the progress of your complaint.

If you disagree with the ANO’s decision about your complaint, you can request an internal review which will be undertaken by a senior member of the ANO team. If you are still dissatisfied you can ask the Commonwealth Ombudsman to review how we handled your complaint. – phone 1300 362 072 or online at www.ombudsman.gov.au

Note: Once a complaint has been raised to the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the ANO cannot conduct an internal review on the same matter.

Privacy

Treatment of Personal Information will depend on the type and purpose of the Personal Information collected, but will always be used in a manner consistent with applicable Australian privacy laws.

If you would like to make an enquiry, comment or complaint about our handling of your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@airservicesaustralia.com.

For further information please see our Privacy Policy, or contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@airservicesaustralia.com.