FAQs

Noise monitors are electronic devices that collect noise data within the vicinity of the unit. Airservices uses this equipment to collect noise data on aircraft flying to and from major airports.

Noise monitors are small units consisting of a pole with microphone equipment and an electronics and power box.

Airservices Noise and Flight Path Monitoring System (NFPMS) collects noise and flight path data at Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Essendon, Adelaide and Perth airports. It is the world’s largest, most geographically-spread noise data collection system of its type.

Airservices undertakes noise monitoring at major airports throughout Australia, under the Airservices Act and Ministerial direction.

We have two permanent noise monitors installed at Tugun and Banora Point in the Gold Coast region. The noise monitor at Banora Point captures arrivals to Gold Coast Runway 32 and departures from Gold Coast Runway 14. The Tugun noise monitor captures arrivals to Gold Coast Runway 14 and departures from Gold Coast Runway 32.

We use the following criteria when identifying a suitable location for a noise monitor:

• site suitability to capture all major aircraft types and operations so that the noise data represents the range of aircraft noise in that community
• site ability to effectively capture sufficient noise data (i.e. if aircraft are too far away and therefore produce low noise levels these generally won’t be captured effectively by a noise monitor)
• the site is compliant with acoustic standards[1] that ensure the operational aspects for monitoring can be achieved
• site technical aspects including security, mobile data coverage, access to power, protection from wildlife, and a location within air traffic control radar coverage
• the site is a public or commercial property (for example schools, council depots, childcare centres, as private residences are not suitable for long-term noise monitor locations) 
• the site has sufficient open space at ground level for a noise monitor to be installed
• consideration of previous and existing short-term and long-term noise monitoring in the vicinity
• consideration of background noise levels that can diminish the effectiveness of the noise monitor

For information on aircraft noise monitoring please visit Airservices website at: Monitoring Aircraft Noise

When submitting your suggested location/s please ensure you include:

• the specific address of the site, or multiple street names that define a particular region
• the specific aircraft operation/s you believe need noise monitoring (e.g. jet departures turning east or helicopter circuits) 
• the reason why you are suggesting the location/s
• local knowledge that may help us consider the suggestion (e.g. if the site is located away from road noise, the current site use/s and who owns the site).

The broader Gold Coast region previously had three long-term noise monitors (NMT), however the third NMT, located at Tweed Heads, was removed due to site works by the property owner in 2009 and unable to be re-installed in 2012, due to asbestos contamination. In 2012 we completed a noise monitor review known as the Environmental Monitoring Unit (EMU) Review, which confirmed allocation for three NMTs up to 2020 and the requirement to conduct a short-term monitoring program throughout 2013.

Four of the five sites for the EMU Review were suggested by residents and consisted of Kingscliff (2 sites), Banora Point (West) Banora Point (East), and Palm Beach. There was also a separate program of short-term noise monitoring undertaken at a Fingal Head in 2014.The reports from these activities were published on Airservices website.

Between 2013 and 2016, we investigated multiple options to reinstall a permanent NMT in the Tweed Heads area, including trialling a short-term NMT which subsequently turned out to be unsuitable.

In 2016, we committed to the Gold Coast Airport, and their Community Aviation Consultation Group (CACG) and Airport Noise Abatement Consultative Committee (ANACC) that we would conduct a review of noise monitoring at Gold Coast Airport following the Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and the introduction of the Required Navigation Performance - Authorisation Required (RNP-AR) approaches to Runway 14 and 32.