Please ask the ACT Government to stop plans to introduce drone deliveries in the ACT.  

The introduction of drone deliveries has the potential to provide some jobs in this new sector as well as some other economical benefits.  However; it will have a severe impact on the amenity of our suburbs by bringing increased noise, reduced privacy and negative impacts on wild life, as well as introducing the risk of people being severely injured in the event that a drone malfunctions.    

What happens when multiple providers enter the market to provide drone deliveries?  When you look up into the (formerly) clear blue skies above our city, do you want to see and hear nothing but drones flying around?  Do you want to be surrounded by the noise and impacted by the lack of privacy that comes from drones criss crossing over your house all day and into the evening, capturing images of you and your property?

Any slight positive environmental impact, in terms of reduced emissions, claimed by the present operator do not take into account drone manufacturing emissions.  Nor does it take into account the impact on emissions from increased use of air conditioners in summer if residents close windows to reduce drone noise.

Finally, it's difficult to see how more jobs will be created in the long term, given that autonomous vehicles will be effectively putting delivery drivers out of work.

The follow information covers specific claims and testimony provided by the Delivery Drone's operator, Wing (a sister company to Google) at the recent ACT Government Standing Committee inquiry into Drone Delivery Services in the ACT:

-  While new drones are being developed that are less noisy than those tested in Bonython, next door neighbours of those receiving deliveries will be subjected to noises of about 55 decibels which is louder than the noise levels in a quite suburb (which is definitely the case for many suburbs in Canberra)

- While no injuries or property damage apparently occurred during the trial, one drone attempted to deliver a package onto a car because it had been parked where it was not usually parked and several drones had to make unscheduled landings due to high winds.  Presumably this could happen in your backyard.

- In terms of potential harmful interactions with hobby drones, the operator has stated that they are making their software available in an attempt to encourage hobby drone operators to use it and reduce the risk of interactions.  How realistic is this?  What happens to a person, animal or property on the ground if a delivery drone and hobby drone collide?

- There is evidence of drones resulting in defensive behaviour from wildlife including magpies.  The operator has engaged a consultant to undertake a study of the impact on birds but has only agreed to share the result with the Committee on a Commercial-In-Confidence basis, not publicly until it has been redacted.  The operator has previously made the claim that birds are pretty good at getting out of the way but why should they and why haven't they make the environmental study results public as yet? 

- The operator presently has no independent information on the impact of delivery drones on other wildlife or domestic animals

- The delivery drones are fitted with ground facing cameras that record images as they pass over houses.  Although the operator notes that cameras on the drones tested cannot zoom in to identify individuals, the data captured is stored by the operator.  Do you want images taken of you and your family enjoying your garden to be captured and stored by corporations?