Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'I dread the weekends.' That's the view of Andrea, one of my constituents, in response to the drone trial that is currently taking place in Bonython in my electorate. It is a trial that was conducted with little or no consultation, just notification to some households—not everyone in the suburb. It's a trial that is delivering burritos and coffee and croissants to households from 8.00 am on Saturday and Sunday, up to 10 in an hour. It's a trial that is driving the majority of people in Bonython simply crazy. I understand the benefits of drones for crisis situations, for emergency situations, for humanitarian situations and for remote and regional communities, particularly in the delivery of medicines and monitoring farms; however, I fail to understand the benefits of drones run by a multinational company for the delivery of fast food produced by large companies that are based outside Canberra.

The drone trial has been underway for a couple of months now, and here's what some of my constituents have to say. Back to Andrea, who said:

I can only pray that we don't have any veterans in our area who have post traumatic stress and I am sure this will trigger them off—plus other people with mental health issues.

Briana said:

I was walking in the Pine Island area when one of the drones appeared and hovered over me and the person I was walking with. We both moved several steps to the side and the drone appeared to follow us, moving in the same direction and then hovering again. It then flew back towards the launch site area near the dog training facility. This encounter has left me feeling uneasy and 'watched'—surely this can be considered harassment as I felt very uncomfortable and didn't know what the drone was doing—was it taking pictures of us …

Laura said:

When you get home from a weekend away and find a drone delivery of old hot chocolates sprayed all across your driveway. Not happy. I have children! What if this was someone's medication and they got in to it! Dangerous and disrespectful!

Nev said:

One came down in an uncontrolled manner in a driveway not far from the primary school. It was a crash. Apparently someone came by in a ute and collected it. What if a small child was underneath it? Or any person really?

Wing acknowledged the incident, but said it was not a crash.

I'm concerned about the impact of the drone trial on my community, and I'm concerned about the approval process for this trial. Drones are regulated in Australia, but the trial was exempted from those regulations by CASA. Why was the trial granted an exemption? Who granted the exemption? Did the minister grant an exemption? On what grounds? For how long was the exemption granted? I ask because, when asked about it a month ago, Wing advised that there was no end date to the trial, and yet recently updated us and said it was going to end in February 2019. Is that the case? What sort of trial has no end date? I also want to know whether an independent review will be conducted once the trial is over, if, in fact, it does cease in February 2019. Wing has also been vague about the data, which is causing considerable concern in the community. I understand the data is being held offshore for 30 days. My constituents have been told by Wing that this is the way of the future. I just wonder: is this a future that you want, Canberra? (Time expired)