Drone Rule Digitisation

View the Map here to see where different local or non-safety laws apply for drone use.

This first release shows laws in place for parks and correctional facilities across Australia.

Future updates are planned to include more local laws and improved functionality for drone users,  the community, and software integration.

Drone users must comply with CASA safety rules at all times: For more information, see CASA’s website and/or maps provided by CASA-verified drone safety apps.

1. Click the Search icon and type an address to zoom to the address location.

2. Click on a feature of interest (for example, a protected area) to see rule information in a pop-up box. Where an area is subject to more than one rule, click the arrow in the pop-up box in the bottom-right corner to see all the information.

3. Use the widgets to help:

• Map Layers widget to toggle selected layers on or off
• Layer Filter widget to filter and display specific results
• State Selector widget to zoom to selected state
• Basemap widget offers a selection of basemaps from a gallery and allows them to change the app's basemap
• Find My Location widget to detect the your physical location and zoom into it on the map

Note on open data and API

Open data and an application programming interface (API) are available. This will help integrate the information into digital flight planning systems. Developers are encouraged to contact the department before investing time on data integration, as improvements are underway to improve the open data and API offering for the next planned release later this year.

A key principle behind the project is that laws should be easily accessible and easy to understand. This means reducing barriers to access (including costs) and publishing laws in the most appropriate way for the intended audience. In this case – relating to a rapidly growing digital drone sector – such laws should be digital. Drone rule digitisation aims to improve access and awareness of non-safety drone laws across Australia.

The project is recognised in the Government’s Data and Digital Government Strategy, as part of moving towards simple, secure and connected services. The project is taking an iterative, cooperative approach, extending from the current focus on digitisation and awareness, to impact analysis and cooperation on enforcement:

Assessing impacts, effectiveness and consistency: Building on digital consistency in drone rule digitisation, the project will also extend to cooperative evaluation of non-safety drone rules across jurisdictions. This will involve impact analyses, assessing how different rules achieve their regulatory objectives, and exploring lessons learned and options for improvement and greater consistency.

Enforcement and national strategy: Cooperative digitisation and evaluation will inform cooperation on compliance and enforcement, looking at both challenges, opportunities, and strategies to help arrive at optimum outcomes for drone rules across jurisdictions, in place for a range of different purposes.

The department welcomes any feedback or requests for further information. Organisations wishing to participate in the project are also invited to get in touch. To do so, please contact drones@infrastructure.gov.au.