Community & Business
25 July, 2024
Intrusive drones fire up locals
DRONES flying near people’s homes and over their backyards are starting to annoy some Mareeba residents who have taken to social media several times in the past few weeks to complain about the intrusive activity.
Some of the comments reflect people’s concerns that drones are being used to “case” properties or take images of their children, while others are just annoyed at the intrusive behaviour.
The posts mention areas such as Eli Close, Seary Road, Mason Street, Constance Street and Wylandra Estate where drones have been seen hovering over people’s properties.
“Down south they are used to case a house…see what you have… dogs, open sheds etc,” one woman wrote.
“That's what happened to our friends, the drone and operators had been casing the place till they knew what, where and when the occupants would be out,” another said.
“When reported to the police they said that this a common happening.”
“Whoever owns the drone in Eli Close - if you continue to hover over people's houses, I will put a bullet in it and drop it at your door if you’re keen to comment,” one man said.
“We have one over at ours too. Very late at night or early morning, hovering over our yards,” a woman replied.
“That’s really bad they are flying it at night as totally against CASA regulations,” another responded.
“I agree it kept going over our place too!! I watched it for a while it Went right over the Barron and then back again…Who does that at night?,” one man posted.
“And it stirs up all the dogs in the area. It’d be great if they take it somewhere else where it doesn’t interfere with people’s privacy,” another person wrote.
The Facebook posts reveal that many people are not aware of the rules surrounding the operation of drones in residential areas and what they can do if they believe someone is breaking those regulations. Others warned those who threatened to shoot the drones down to be aware that this was also a criminal act.
“That’s just invading people privacy - can’t the cops do anything about it?” one person asked.
“Theres a privacy act you should look at it. CASA is only a safety regulator which says you can’t be within 30m. They are only safety regulators,” a woman posted.
“The federal or state government make the laws and this is under the Privacy Act. Next, we will be having paedophiles flying their drones into people’s back yards saying they are allowed to take photos and watch our kids.
“You can call the police when a drone comes over your property and it will be under Privacy Act.”
“I’d also like to know as I have had my neighbour fly his drone right up to my patio and leave it hovering there while I’m sitting on my patio,” another person wrote.
“Report it to CASA. If you shoot it down and they recover it or video you doing it, you will end up with a knock on the door from the AFP because it is the same offence as threatening the safety of any other aircraft,” one man advised.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is ultimately responsible for the operation and policing of drones and can impose fines of up to $1,565 when people are caught doing the wrong thing.
The CASA website (www.casa.gov.au/knowyourdrone/drone-rules) sets out the rules for those “flying for fun” which include that drones cannot be flown within 30m of other people and “never fly over a person”.
“You must not fly your drone in a way that creates a hazard to another aircraft, person or property. Respect other people’s privacy,” the CASA website states.
The website then refers you to look at the Australian Privacy Principles and the Invasion of Privacy Act for Queensland.
Drones can only be flown in daylight hours by recreational users and must be kept within the line of sight of operators. There are different rules for commercial operators such as those taking aerial images of properties for real estate agents.
CASA has a page where people can lodge a complaint about “unsafe flying”. Go to www.casa.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/drone-complaints
