Air quality monitoring network
New South Wales operates Australia's most comprehensive air quality monitoring network, with more than 100 monitoring sites across the state. The major air quality monitoring networks operate in these regions:
- Greater Sydney
- Illawarra
- Lower Hunter
- Upper Hunter
- Greater New South Wales, including the North West Slopes, Northern Tablelands, North Coast, Central Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands and South-West Slopes
- Rural New South Wales, including central and western New South Wales, north-west Victoria and east South Australia.
Review of air quality monitoring
The NSW Government continually reviews its air quality monitoring activity. The formal reviews are conducted independently, and publicly available reports have been published:
Reviews of industry-funded monitoring networks in the Hunter region include:
- Five-year review of the Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network
- Four-year review of the Newcastle Local Air Quality Monitoring Network.
The NSW Air Quality Monitoring Plan, which was first established in 2001, is reviewed annually, with major reviews conducted every 5 years. The most recent review:
- takes into account the 2011 Review of the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure 2011
- is guided by recommendations from the Air NEPM Review Expert Working Group’s 2015 project, Review of Air Quality Monitoring Network Design.
The 2026–30 NSW Air Quality Monitoring Plan
The 2026–30 Air Quality Monitoring Plans are developed following the scheduled 5-year review in 2025 and replace the 2021–25 plans. They set out monitoring arrangements overall for New South Wales, as well as regionally for Greater Sydney and Illawarra, Lower Hunter and Central Coast, Upper Hunter, and Regional and Rural NSW.
Read the NSW Air Quality Monitoring Plan:
- NSW air quality monitoring plan 2026–30: Methods for creating plans
- Air quality monitoring plan for the Greater Sydney and Illawarra regions 2026–30
- Air quality monitoring plan for the Lower Hunter and Central Coast regions 2026–30
- Air quality monitoring plan for the Upper Hunter region 2026–30
- Air quality monitoring plan for Regional and Rural NSW 2026–30 (coming in May 2026)