Page 4636 - Week 12 - Thursday, 1 November 2018
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There have been some significant concerns raised by residents in the trial area, particularly in Bonython. That said, they are coupled with also a lot of excitement and support for the trial. About 150 households are part of the pilot trial of the delivery service. That said, there is significant concern by neighbouring residents. I have heard some very concerning stories, one of a veteran who lives in Bonython. The noise that is emitted by the delivery drones has, sadly, retriggered his PTSD. I have heard stories of families who have young kids with special needs, children who are on the spectrum, having to cope with and manage the irregularity of the flights, as some residents have put it, sometimes in excess of 50 a day. That warrants some inquiry by the committee as to the impact on amenity that has occurred.
There are also some positives that should be explored, particularly the economic benefit or impact the territory has experienced, not just from having the trial here in the territory but also from the opportunities in job creation, partnering with local industry.
It being 45 minutes after the commencement of Assembly business, the debate was interrupted in accordance with standing order 77. Ordered that the time allotted to Assembly business be extended by 30 minutes.
MR WALL: As I was saying, there have also been some benefits of the trial to the ACT: employment, investment, and the ability for Wing, the project team, to partner with local industry and potentially local territory institutes. This is new technology, it is an emerging field, and there are great partnership opportunities there. That constitutes part of the terms of reference which I am recommending to the Assembly.
Likewise, there have been issues around who actually carries regulatory responsibility for unmanned drone flights, both in a commercial sense, as we are talking about here today, and also in the recreational sense. There has been a huge explosion in the use of drones as a recreational pursuit. I have had a constituent raise concerns that they have approached the EPA over noise issues in Bonython. The ACT EPA referred them to commonwealth agencies stating that it was to do with aviation and that the ACT has no responsibility in that space. The same constituent approached the civil air services, CASA, and were informed that it was not their responsibility, that they should best contact Airservices. Airservices took delight in referring them back to CASA.
I understand that ultimately it is the civil aviation authority that has oversight of this trial, but that has not been the experience of residents who have sought to raise concerns or who have questions around the operation or the use of commercial drone services in the ACT. There is an opportunity for an Assembly committee to inquire into that, to get a greater understanding of the issues both at the commonwealth level and particularly at the local level, especially around the involvement of the Environment Protection Agency; WorkSafe, who I think should have some responsibility in this space, and Access Canberra, the catch-all for government contact with the community.
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