Following the recommendations of the Aviation White Paper, the Aviation Consumer Protection Bill Package was introduced to Parliament on 1 April 2026. The bill includes the establishment of the Aircraft Noise Ombudsperson within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts (the Department).
Under the new function, the responsibilities of the current Aircraft Noise Ombudsman’s (ANO) office to independently review the handling of aircraft noise complaints by Airservices Australia and the Department of Defence will remain unchanged. The ANO welcomes the increased independence of the role, under the new legislation, along with the power to make recommendations to the government for policy or regulatory change.
Further information is available from the Department website here.