Background
The third runway at Melbourne Airport will increase community exposure to aircraft noise. The effects of this will be most significant close to the airport, where the volume and frequency of low altitude overflights could impact amenity and health.
The Federal Government requires Melbourne Airport to deliver a Noise Amelioration Plan and Program before the new runway opens. The aim of this program is to reduce aircraft noise inside homes and buildings that will be most impacted when the new runway opens.
The program will include improvements to eligible properties to reduce aircraft noise, should homeowners wish to participate. Improvements may include initiatives like installing double-glazed windows, adding roof insulation, and better sealing of doors and vents.
The Noise Amelioration Plan and Program will prioritise structures where sleep, learning, communication and annoyance from aircraft noise can be significantly improved. The program will not include property acquisition.
Explore the Resources tab above to find fact sheets, explainer videos and other information. And if you have any questions about the Noise Amelioration Plan and Program, please email NAPP@melair.com.au.
The Noise Amelioration Plan is being designed to reduce the impact of aircraft noise inside eligible homes and sensitive facilities in the Hume and Brimbank communities closest to the airport.
Development of the Plan involves:
Assessing the extent of forecast aircraft noise impact areas
Research and benchmarking with similar projects in Australia and around the world
Application of Australian noise measurement and mitigation frameworks
Community engagement and consultation in areas where eligibility is expected
Development of appropriate treatment systems and options for eligible properties, including working with builders to streamline delivering the works.
The Noise Amelioration Program will complement urban planning controls that have been in place since 1992 to minimise conflict between community and the airport’s growing 24/7 operation. Some homes and public buildings in the areas of significant impact were built prior to or outside these controls and may therefore need treatment to help mitigate the effects of noise.
Property acquisition will not be offered or required by this project. Melbourne Airport’s site is very large and no homes are close enough to the runways to experience extreme aircraft noise.
Melbourne Airport consulted with the community throughout 2025 and 2026 and will submit the Plan to the Federal Government for approval later this year. Roll-out of the Program will follow Ministerial approval of the Plan.
The Noise Amelioration Plan must be approved by the Infrastructure Minister. It will outline:
Which properties will be eligible for the Program, with inclusion and exclusion criteria
How property owners will be contacted and guided through the project
How noise reduction objectives will be assessed and achieved
How works will be delivered.
The Noise Amelioration Program is the project for delivering the Plan’s commitments.
Key dates
Work begins to define the Noise Amelioration Plan
Consultation begins to develop details of the plan
Second consultation period begins
The plan is finalised and submitted to the Minister for approval
Following Ministerial approval, the program for delivering the plan commences
Latest webinars
Webinar 1 - Noise Amelioration Plan update
Webinar 2 | How standards and regulations are shaping the draft Plan
Webinar 3 | Next steps for Noise Amelioration Project
Fact sheets
Glossary
Amelioration
Amelioration has a similar meaning to “mitigation” or “treatment”. Relating to aircraft noise, it refers to measures taken to reduce community impacts through building improvements.
ANEF
Stands for Australian Noise Exposure Forecast. The Airports Act 1996 requires that each airport Master Plan include an Australian Noise Exposure Forecast (ANEF) to determine likely noise exposure around the airport. An ANEF is a map overlaid with “contours” that show where aircraft noise of different intensities will occur in the future. ANEF models are produced regularly by all major Australian airports. They are reviewed and endorsed for accuracy by Airservices Australia.
AS2021:2015— ‘Acoustics - Aircraft noise intrusion— Building siting and construction’
The Australian Standard that defines acceptable types of development, and noise level objectives for those developments, in areas significantly affected by aircraft noise. This Standard defines this project’s objectives for indoor noise conditions.
dB(A)
A unit of measurement of sound, in decibels, adjusted (A-weighted sound level) to account for the varying sensitivity of the human ear to different frequencies of sound.
M3R
Melbourne Airport's Third Runway
MAEO
Melbourne Airport Environs Overlay - A planning control that was introduced by the Victorian Government in 2007, designed to limit the impacts of aircraft noise on land use and development in areas close to Melbourne Airport. The current version of the MAEO was gazetted in 2021. The MAEO replaced a similar overlay, then known as the Melbourne Airport Environs Area (MAEA) which was introduced in 1992.
MDP
Major Development Plan
NAP&P
Noise Amelioration Plan and Program
Resources
Thanks for participating
The second round of public consultation for the Noise Amelioration Plan and Program has now concluded.
We extend a sincere thank you to all who participated.
The project team met with community members across eight drop-in sessions and two community pop-ups in Keilor and Bulla. We also held three online webinars during this consultation period. You can view the webinar recordings here.
The conversations and local insights will help shape the delivery model for the Noise Amelioration Program. The project team will now focus on finalising the draft Plan, which will be submitted to the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government for approval in the coming months.
The project team still welcomes any community feedback or questions at napp@melair.com.au
Contact Us
Have a question about the project which isn't answered elsewhere or would you like to provide comment or feedback? Send us an enquiry using the form on this page.