2026 LGAQ CONFERENCE MOTIONS & COUNCILLOR ATTENDANCE (Referred from the General Committee Meeting dated 7 July 2026 - Item 7.7) · Attachment 5 - Drone Beach Surveillance

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Background                  Drone technology has transformed beach safety operations. Surf Life
(required) 350-word limit   Saving Queensland’s Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Drone program has
                            demonstrated faster identification of swimmers in distress, detection
                            of marine hazards in real time, and the ability to deploy flotation
                            devices directly to people in the water before a lifeguard can
                            physically reach them. Drones extend the reach of lifeguards -
                            enabling a single operator to monitor a far greater length of coastline
                            than is possible on foot or by conventional patrol.Councils including
                            the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Noosa, Fraser Coast, and
                            Townsville are already investing in drone beach surveillance
                            programs. The evidence of their effectiveness is clear. The obstacle
                            is not capability - it is the regulatory framework. Current CASA
                            regulations, designed for commercial and recreational operators,
                            impose significant administrative barriers on local governments
                            seeking to run routine, recurring public safety operations. Individual
                            approvals are required for each operation, a process that is costly,
                            slow, and incompatible with the daily, seasonal demands of a beach
                            safety program. These restrictions are most acute on weekends,
                            public holidays and school holidays - the periods of highest beach
                            attendance, greatest crowding at popular locations, and lowest
                            proportional lifeguard coverage at unpatrolled beaches. Royal Life
                            Saving Queensland data consistently shows these are the periods of
                            greatest drowning risk. Reform of the regulatory framework requires
                            Commonwealth action on aviation regulations. The Queensland
                            Government is best placed to lead and coordinate that advocacy on
                            behalf of local government, and to provide the funding and
                            framework needed to support councils to expand drone operations
                            safely and consistently across the State. This is not a new program -
                            it is removing the barriers to a proven one.
Case study/ Example
(optional) 350-word limit




                                                                                              June 26
                                                                                       Wilson Crawley