NSW Opens Drone Rules Review as Shark-Safety Alternative to Culling

Following the great white shark attack on swimmer Leah Stewart at Coogee Beach in Sydney, NSW regulators are reviewing Civil Aviation Safety Authority restrictions on drone operations over populated coastal areas. Drone surveillance deployed after the incident detected sharks in real time, allowing beach closures before encounters. Marine scientists note Western Australia's culling trial failed to reduce attacks and caused ecological damage. Drones sidestep the legal threshold required for species derogations while scaling within existing safety frameworks.