60 Reasons to Protest: Reason #58 – Aviation Noise is Unregulated
Construction noise on a Sunday? Neighbours having a loud party after 10pm? Dog barking before 7am? Concerned about the adjacent road, highway, rail line? There are strict local and state government regulations for all sorts of noise pollution. Even new mufflers were installed on Brisbane’s KittyCat ferries following concerns about the fleet’s noise pollution in 2021.
However, did you know that aviation noise is entirely exempt and unregulated in Australia?
Airservices confirms:
There is no regulated maximum noise level for aircraft flying over residential areas. Without any maximum level set out in legislation or regulation, there is no objective measure to determine whether any aircraft flying in Australia is “too noisy”, or whether the combined load of aircraft experienced by a community is “too much” noise.
Source: Airservices Australia
While there are the Air Navigation (Aircraft Noise) Regulations 2018, they are a total farce. Why? Airservices explains:
In Australia, aircraft noise standards apply before an aircraft is allowed to operate here, rather than in the course of its day-to-day flying activities. Before an aircraft begins operating in Australia it is required to meet international noise standards that specify the amount of noise that may be emitted by that type or model of aircraft. … once an aircraft passes this certification process, there is no legislation or regulation that enables any agency, including Airservices, to police its noise levels.
Source: Airservices Australia
If you have ever submitted a complaint to Airservices, you may have received one of their infamous boilerplate responses that highlight precisely this sad fact – along the lines of: If you see a plane in the Australian sky, rest assured it can make as much noise as it wants to. So go away, suck it up and stop complaining, or we put you on a management plan!
Is it difficult to obtain one of these Australian Noise Certificates? Not at all! If the aircraft already holds an international noise certification, Airservices will simply rubberstamp that and approve it. Simples! 
How did we get to this stage? Since the 80s, consecutive Australian governments have been indoctrinating us in believing that regulation is bad. They have called it “red tape” that needs to be cut and removed so that industry can operate unchecked. This neoliberal ideology has now come to bite us. What we experience is an example of when the red tape cutting has gone too far, because we are left without ANY community protections.
Will you join us in a fight to bring back strong aviation industry regulation and win back community protections?
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