Australia is set to have among the world's toughest rules on drones after the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority rewrites its regulations in the new year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said the "huge growth" in popularity of the flying "unmanned aerial vehicles" – which are helicopter-like craft, with GPS and cameras – meant regulations had to be "updated".
At the moment drones for commercial use by police, fire services, aerial photographers and in some agricultural settings are regulated by CASA. Commercial users – there are 180 in Australia, a jump on only 34 in 2013 – need a licence. But recreational users do not.
Australia is already one of the few countries to strictly regulate increasing commercial drone use – Fairfax Media reported on Sunday that Melbourne real estate agents are now using them to capture views from apartments which are yet to be built for use in marketing.
CASA has issued a warning to recreational drone users to follow safety rules over the summer holidays. Entry level drones cost about $500 without the camera.
Mr Gibson said drones must be kept more than 30 metres away from other people and must not be flown over crowds of people at beaches or sporting events.
Drones can only be operated in daylight where the operator can see them, should be kept more than five kilometres from airports and be flown below 121 metres.
Infringement notices can be issued if these regulations are broken. Prosecutions can be enforced if anyone is injured.
Late last year CASA struck a deal with a big drone manufacturer, DJI Phantom, in China, to insert written guidelines in the boxes. This follows incidents of drones being flown over bushfires and crime scenes to capture video and photographs. In October 2013 a drone flew over a bushfire near Sydney, forcing emergency services to ground firefighting aircraft.
A man who flew a drone at the scene of a siege at Altona North in Victoria two weeks ago will be fined $850. The drone crashed into a power line and fell, nearly hitting a police officer. In June a drone narrowly missed a rescue helicopter in Newcastle. It was flying at nearly 300 metres.
"They can get high enough to become a problem with aircraft taking off and landing," Mr Gibson said. More sophisticated models could reach up to 600 metres.
"While people do not need a licence or approval to fly a drone for fun they must follow the rules," he said.
