[Peetwo]

Dear CC - Please explain? L&Ks GS

Chester answer to QIW on drones.

Via House Hansard yesterday, Chester actually answers a QIW and makes it sound like he actually know what he is talking about -

Drones
(Question No. 739)
Mr Georganas asked the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, in writing, on 29 May 2017:

In respect of reported incidences involving drones between 26 May 2015 and 26 May 2017, how many accidents or near-accidents, breaches of privacy or other regulations have been reported (a) over Australian airspace, and (b) over South Australian airspace, © over the airspace of our capital cities including metropolitan (i) Adelaide, (ii) Perth, (iii) Darwin, (iv) Brisbane, (v) Sydney, (vi) Canberra, (vii) Hobart, and (viii) Melbourne, and (d) within a (i) 20, (ii) 15, (iii) 10, and (iv) 5, kilometre radius of the Adelaide Airport.

Mr Chester: The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) collects information on the number of aviation safety occurrences reported in accordance with the mandatory occurrence reporting requirements of the Transport Investigation Act 2003 (TSI Act) and associated aviation safety regulations. The information on occurrences collected by the ATSB is categorised into three types:

Accidents: An occurrence involving an aircraft where: a person dies or suffers serious injury; the aircraft (which includes a drone) is destroyed or seriously damaged; or any property is destroyed or seriously damaged.

Serious Incidents: An incident involving circumstances indicating that an accident nearly occurred.

Incidents: An occurrence, other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft which affects or could affect the safety of operation and also meets the definition of a 'Transport Safety Matter' in the TSI Act.

Available information on the number of aviation safety related occurrences as requested, is in the table below.

The ATSB has advised that it is currently reviewing the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems occurrence data for the first half of 2017 and expects to publish updated figures and analysis in August 2017.

Information on incidents that are not aviation safety related, for example, privacy, are a matter for the relevant authority in each state and territory. 



Source: ATSB National Occurrence Database - detailed data on occurrences involving remotely piloted aircraft for the period 26/5/15 to 26/5/17 (http://data.atsb.gov.au/DetailedData)

1 For the purposes of this response, 'Capital City Airspace' has been defined as Class C and D airspace, which is the controlled airspace and control zones around major airports (Class C) and the controlled airspace and control zones around controlled metropolitan and regional airports (Class D).

2 All 'accidents' reported to the ATSB involved damage to the drone (which is defined as an 'aircraft' for the purposes of this reporting) or other property only. No accidents involved injuries to persons or damage to other aircraft.

MTF...P2