Queensland councils looking to launch fleet of hi-tech drones to enforce neighbourhood laws

JUST when you thought it was safe to venture into your back yard ... Queensland councils are looking to the skies in a bid to enforce neighbourhood laws.

QUEENSLAND councils are looking to launch a fleet of hi-tech drones into the state’s skies to enforce neighbourhood laws such as awimming pool compliance.

The Courier-Mail has obtained a draft Local Government Association of Queensland report suggesting councils chip in towards a statewide service to purchase drones for shared use.

Trials have shown the devices could also be used for tasks like patrolling tipping and investigating suspected illegal activity on properties.

The report investigated a range of local council trials, including one using a military-grade aircraft, across Queensland as part of the study.

In addition to compliance duties, they also looked at their use for other operations including disaster management and pest mapping.

But civil libertarians have attacked the proposal, demanding new legislation to protect people’s privacy from the flying robots.

The LGAQ reports says: “Remotely Piloted Aircraft are fast becoming a ‘game changer’ for how local councils and utilities manage their assets.

“Described as ‘the fastest growing area of aerospace research and development globally’, RPA have already been identified as having significant economic and safety benefits to a broad range of organisations.”

Some of the state’s largest councils confirmed they were either using or investigating drones use.

A Logan City Council spokesman said licensed drone contractors had been used on several occasions, including for measuring how much garbage was being dumped at a local tip.

“Our surveyors have also used drones to survey a swampy and difficult to access site where unlawful earthworks had been reported,” the spokesman said.

“The advantages of using drones to survey inaccessible parts of the city, particularly during or after disaster events like floods or fires, are obvious.”

However, the spokesman said council were mindful of the community’s privacy, requesting operators to refrain from flying over private property.

A Gold Coast Council spokeswoman said they were “currently investigating the use of RPAs” for a range of activities, including asset management and compliance monitoring.

“The city has previously used external RPAs only for the purposes of commercial aerial photography and video,” the spokeswoman said.

The LGAQ report revealed Scenic Rim Regional Council used the technology to scope out suspected illegal activities.

“After being briefed by council officers on the suspected illegal activity being undertaken on the property, the RPA pilot conducted two flights around the boundary of the property,” the report states.

Over a 30-minute period, the paper explained, council received the required information “immediately after the flights to allow prompt follow-up enforcement action.”

“The high-resolution images allowed council officers to zoom in on potential areas of interest and could be easily included within compliance documentation,” the report reads.

Meanwhile, Cairns Regional Council trialled the drones in five “priority areas”, including residential pool compliance inspections.

The surveillance, which avoided capturing any people, was done on public land.

However, councils are able to enforce local laws through a variety of measures, including by entering private properties, under a range of state and federal legislation.

Longreach Regional Council, which collaborated with Local Government Infrastructure Services, used a Hornet Multi-rotor drone with thermal imagery for mapping wild dogs in the outback.

The report stated council were able to use the lo-fi (low quality) imagery collected to count the wild pests using a computer program with the assistance of council officers.

In a separate trial, McKinlay and Winton councils used a two-metre long Aerosonde Mark 4.7, with a minimum 10-hour endurance, to survey over 500km of roads within the central Queensland regions.

“The aircraft has a ‘rugged all-weather’ capacity and has been successfully flown through a sandstorm and the eye of a hurricane for scientific trials,” the report states.

“Therefore, potentially making it a resilient and safe RPA for use within a disaster event.”

The report recommended implementing a statewide “gateway service” to “capitalise on efficiencies and improved safety benefits” associated with using drones in place of manual work. The pilot would need a Civil Aviation Safety Authority-approved operator certificate.

“The benefits available to local government from RPA technology are too significant and widespread not too capitalise on the significant savings from bulk procurement and providing councils with the full range and benefits available from RPA technology now,” the report states.

However, civil liberties crusader Terry O’Gorman slammed the growing use of the flying robots, calling on the State Government to enact legislation to protect people’s privacy. He said the issue should be referred to the Queensland Law Reform Commission, suggesting a total ban of drones flying over or near private property.

“The privacy issues with drones, including the privacy issues of public officials using them, are immense,” Mr O’Gorman said.