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SLSNSW Drone station- Photo taken at North Bilgola lookout - which has a view towards Avalon Beach headland as well, April 11, 2026. Photo: A J Guesdon/PON
The state government announced it would allocate an additional $34 million for shark-spotting drones, providing coverage at every ocean beach from Palm Beach to Cronulla 365 days of the year.
Around 70 beaches across the state will have year-round drone surveillance, with all Sydney beaches covered from July 1.
The government also stated it will also trial artificial intelligence to improve shark detection.
Conducted by Surf Life Saving NSW, the monitoring will prioritise beaches with a high number of swimmers and surfers, where shark incidents have become more frequent.
The announcement was made two weeks after Leah Stewart was critically injured in a suspected white shark attack while swimming between the flags at Coogee Beach.
The 34-year-old was rescued by Newport SLSC's Charlie Verco and received first aid at the scene and underwent surgery to remove her arm.
Surfing NSW President Lusus Townsend welcomed the additional funding, which he said would also allow boardriding clubs across regional NSW to train surfers in shark bite response.
White sharks are a protected species and cannot be culled. However, Mr Minns said he would not rule out the culling of bull sharks, which are not protected.
"If our waterways and estuaries are being overrun with bull sharks and they are way above the numbers that we traditionally see, we've got to put swimmer safety first," he said.
"Fishermen can take one shark per day, but we are actively looking at mitigation measures when it comes to bull sharks in those [waters] to keep the public safe."
Mr Minns said any culling action must be data driven, with counting of bull sharks to resume, including in the Hawkesbury, when the animals returned to NSW waters from Queensland after Winter.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries' Marcel Green said there had been anecdotal reports of an increase in shark activity across the coast, and these reports have been coming in for quite some time.
See March 2025 report: It's a 'Bit Sharky' out there: 5 Tagged Bull Sharks Pinged at North Narrabeen on Same Day - Bull Shark spotted at Bayview
November 2025 report: Jacqui Scruby - Council - Long Reef Boardriders - Maria Psillakis Call for Expanded Drone Surveillance to Improve Safety at Beaches
December 7 2025 announcement: Minns Government announces $2.5 million boost to summer beach safety with immediate extra shark surveillance drones
March 2026 report: MP for Pittwater's Shark Survey: March 2026 Update
May 2026 report: Flags Down on 2025/2026 Patrol Season: SLSNSW Distributes Publicly Accessible Shark Bite Kits to All NSW Surf Clubs - going up at 129 surf clubs
May 2026 report (same week - Sunday announcement again): Merc’s legacy will be part of every boardrider club’s shark surveillance set up: SLSNSW Drone to stay on Peninsula at 4 beaches until June 30
"Certainly a lot of the surfers are reporting that they've had a lot of … near misses and, or sightings," he said. "There's not a lot of data that says anything to the contrary.
"The focus of the uplift in this program now will be that we will have eyes in the sky to prevent [shark interactions] from happening in the future."
Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby said her community’s confidence in the water will be significantly restored following today’s announcement that NSW will have the world’s leading dawn to dusk drone program, 365 days per year, across Sydney beaches, including ‘every ocean beach from Palm Beach to Cronulla.’
“Our coastal community’s calls for comprehensive dawn to dusk, 365-day coverage, better data collection and clearer public information for water users have been answered. This is a massive step change which will help restore community confidence in the ocean,” Ms Scruby said.
The announcement follows calls from Ms Scruby for 365-day, dawn-to-dusk drone coverage, better data collection, and clearer public information for water users.
The expanded monitoring will start 1 July and include year-round coverage across all Sydney beaches expanding from 26 to 38 beaches – from Palm Beach to Cronulla. The enhanced shark program also includes two SharkSmart listening stations in Sydney harbour to alert swimmers to the presence of tagged sharks.
''No government can promise there will never be another shark incident. What we can do is keep investing in the technology, research and education that help reduce risk and better protect people using our beaches.'' the government said
''This boost in funding brings the Government’s total investment in the Shark Mitigation Program to more than $120 million over the next two years. It will see more beaches covered, longer daily patrols from dawn till dusk and year‑round monitoring at key locations across the state.''
Expanded regional operations along the coast will for the first time include:
- flights every weekend throughout the year
- daily flights from 1 December to 30 April
- extended daily flight hours to cover dawn to dusk
This is additional to the existing school holiday drone program along the coast.
Importantly, coverage will not be limited to patrolled beaches, ensuring protection extends to popular, unpatrolled surf locations.
Surf Live Saving NSW will continue to lead drone operations which will be scaled to reflect seasonal demand with increased coverage during summer and school holidays, flexible deployment based on beach usage and targeted monitoring during periods of higher recreational activity.
Like all mitigation measures, drones have limitations, including weather conditions, visibility and battery constraints, but they remain a vital tool in protecting water users.
Harnessing artificial intelligence and emerging technology
The NSW Government will continue to partner with Surf Life Saving NSW but will also partner with external providers to drive the adoption of emerging technologies to enhance drone monitoring across the state.
This will include trials of at least two new artificial intelligence systems over Summer, harnessing automation to improve shark detection, with the ambition of making new technologies standard practice at our beaches. The NSW Government will also work with Surf Life Saving NSW and CASA to pursue regulatory approvals to introduce more autonomous drone operations.
The funding for Surf Life Saving NSW will also enable them to upgrade their remote pilot and operating facilities, support deployment of new technology, and pave the way for a future of daily, automated flights from surf club rooftops and other purpose-built infrastructure.
Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:
“We know people love getting out to our beaches, and they should feel confident doing it.
“While no one can ever promise no shark interactions, this investment is about putting more eyes in the sky so we can spot sharks earlier and give people a clear heads-up when they’re in the water.
“More drones in the air means we’re getting a better picture of what’s happening offshore and it means we’ll get better at seeing them.
“We’re backing practical technology that helps keep families, surfers and swimmers safer right across the coast.”
Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said:
“NSW has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and we want people to enjoy them safely.
“This investment will deliver the most extensive aerial shark surveillance program we’ve ever had.
“We are significantly expanding drone coverage across Sydney and regional NSW, increasing the number of beaches monitored, extending operating hours and introducing new technology like AI, and these innovations will help extend drone coverage to more beaches at lower cost over time.
“While no measure can completely remove the risk of shark interactions, this program is about doing everything we can to reduce that risk and keep people safe in the water.
“This investment builds on the Minns Government’s commitment to a modern, science-based shark management program focused on early detection, innovation and education.”
CEO Surf Life Saving NSW Steve Pearce said:
“This package from the Minns Government is the largest ever funding commitment to shark management in Australia, and the largest uplift of funding to SLSNSW for the enhancement of coastal safety in NSW.
“This is an incredible investment in community, safety, confidence and ensuring NSW has cutting edge technology and capacity to provide world class safety to NSW coastal users.
“The SLS NSW Shark UAV surveillance program has proven to be an extremely effective component of the NSW Shark Management Program, having this year alone identified and prevented over 2000 sharks interacting with swimmers and surfers, and conducting over 100,000 flights.
“Even with the greatest technology and expanded presence of drones, we cannot prevent all shark interactions, however this funding will allow the development of a safety program that will give the greatest opportunity to prevent these from occurring.”
President of Surfing NSW, Lusus Townsend said:
“Surfing NSW supports this additional funding for expanded drone surveillance for sharks, which will play a critical role in keeping surfers safer across Sydney and regional communities.
“This is a win for surfer safety all along our coast, with increasing coverage across more beaches, for more hours, and more days of the year.
"We welcome the NSW Government’s commitment to aerial shark surveillance, which is helping to make surfing as safe as it can be for our thousands of surfers along the NSW coast.”
Pittwater MP Welcomes Year Shark Drone Surveillance
Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby said:
“The ocean is part of who we are and our daily lifestyle. Recent attacks shattered our confidence with ocean swims cancelled, numbers in nippers reduced and surfing comps and participation cancelled or down. We now have a world leading program to allow us to continue to use the ocean as we always have.”
“Surfers, ocean swimmers, and fishers are in the ocean from dawn, at dusk, all year and outside patrolled hours. We’ve been missing out on drone coverage when many locals were using the water most - it’s been like running a bus to the city without peak hour service.”
Ms Scruby called for the program to be optimised through engagement with key ocean stakeholders noting it can be used to build a stronger evidence base on shark numbers, behaviour, bait balls, fish movement and changing ocean conditions.
“This must be a program of continual improvement and co-design with ocean users and technical experts. Drone technology is incredible at detecting sharks, but it needs to go further, using AI, data collection and improved operations and communications.”
“We need to improve how this program has been operating. We can’t have people writing notes on car windscreens or posting on local FB groups. The SharkSmart app needs updating and people need clearer information on how it all works, when drones are flying, how shark sightings are communicated, and how the data is collected. The only way to get this right is to ensure that it is co-designed with key stakeholders.”
“We are entering a new normal as we adjust to more alerts and more sightings. I thank the Premier and Minister for today’s announcement and will continue to raise concerns from the Pittwater electorate as this program rolls out to ensure maximum transparency and information to reduce risk without destroying confidence,” concluded Ms Scruby.
Details:
The announcement sees an additional $34 million to further fund drone and year-round coverage on top of a record $86.6 million 26/27 NSW budget investment in shark management.
Under the Government’s announced 2026/27 drone schedule, Sydney ocean beaches from Palm Beach to Cronulla will receive coverage 365 days a year, with drones operating:
- From 1 July: 6:45am – 4:15pm
- September: 6:15am – 5:00pm
- October: 6:15am – 6:30pm
- November: 6:00am – 6:30pm
- December, January and February: 6:00am – 7:30pm
- March: 6:30am – 7:00pm
the Hon. Tara Moriarty and Mike Psillakis, Mercury's twin brother, trying out the drone at Mona Vale on Sunday May 3. Photo: NSW Government
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