Defence keeping an ear out on options to help noise affected residents around RAAF Base Amberley

FILE: An EA-18 Super Growler parked on the tarmac for a media photo shoot. Photo courtesy ANDREW KACIMAIWAI

Residents near RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland who are directly affected by aircraft noise may be in line for financial help to sound-proof their homes.

The possibility was one of several options raised at a public meeting just over a month ago about a new military aircraft noise monitoring program.

About 50 residents attended the meeting, organised by the Department of Defence, at West Moreton Anglican College in Karrabin, close to where many affected residents live.

Federal MP for Blair Shayne Neumann, who was at the meeting, said Defence officials explained the program, listened to residents and set out a timetable for eligible households willing to take part in the program.

“Noise from jets like the Super Hornets and Growlers has been a big issue in this area; some long-term local residents have been calling for it to be addressed for several years,” he said.

The MP said Defence officials wanted volunteers to take part in noise monitoring and have an initial inspection of their homes.

Neumann said that based on those results, Defence will study options which may include financial support for affected residents to help cover the cost of sound-proofing their homes.

“We have seen similar programs like this operate around some civilian commercial airports, and provide for the installation of window glazing, for example,” he said.

“There are precedents for this. What we are looking to do here is extend these to a military air base and deliver noise abatement measures as a pilot program to help improve residents’ quality of life.”

The program will focus on households located within the Australian Noise Exposure Forecast (ANEF) 30 contour for the base (largely north-south).

Defence will also investigate a new noise model for military fast jets and work with the state government and Ipswich City Council to explore new planning regulations to support better noise management, the MP says.

RAAF Base Amberley is Defence’s largest operational air base, and home to the Royal Australian Air Force’s F/A-18F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler squadrons.