The government has released the UTM Action Plan, outlining the whole-of-government approach to delivering Uncrewed aerial system Traffic Management (UTM) in an iterative, proportionate and industry supportive manner.

The UTM Action Plan outlines government actions across 4 focus areas to help grow Australia's UTM:

• Separation and airspace integration
• Better regulation
• Fit for purpose regulatory approvals
• Improved compliance, enforcement and security.

For more details, visit UTM Action Plan.

AAUS supports this initiative together with broader Australian airspace policy and regulatory development to create a safer and more efficient airspace and regulatory environment for emerging aviation technologies to succeed.  

As always, we appreciate your feedback if you have areas of concern.

CASA has announced the release of the updated RPAS and AAM Strategic Regulatory Roadmap, reflecting valuable feedback from industry.  The update outlines clearer timelines, risk-based frameworks and simplified pathways to support innovation in the RPAS and AAM sectors.

Key updates include new priorities for research and development (R&D) operations, large RPAS, and advanced airspace management. These changes are designed to enable growth and innovation, with a strong focus on supporting scalable, safe, and efficient advancements in air mobility.

CASA has streamlined efforts to address regulatory challenges, focusing on international alignment and ensuring a risk-based safety framework that fosters innovation and industry growth. The updated roadmap is a testament to CASA's commitment to transparency, consultation, and clarity.

For more details, visit RPAS and AAM Strategic Regulatory Roadmap.

Dr Reece Clothier, longstanding President of AAUS, has announced he will be stepping down as President of the Association at the AAUS Annual General Meeting held in Melbourne on November 21, 2024. 

Elected at the recent AGM, Andrew Crowe will lead AAUS into the future as the incoming President. Andrew brings a wealth of experience to the role, having served on the AAUS Board for the past five years, including the past year as Secretary.

Read full Media Release

The AAUS Annual General Meeting was held yesterday in Melbourne.  Results of the meeting are summarised here.

Highlights:

• Reece Clothier steps down as AAUS President after 9 years as President.

• Andrew Crowe has been elected as the new AAUS President

• New AAUS Board ratified

President's Welcome

Dr Reece Clothier, longstanding President of AAUS, has announced he will be stepping down as President of the Association before the end of the year. After almost a decade in the role, Dr Clothier said now was the right time for new leadership to take the Association forward.

“I am immensely proud of what the Association has achieved, and it has been an honour and privilege to have been part of that journey,” he said to attendees at the AAUS 2024 Annual General Meeting.

Dr Clothier has been part of the Association since its founding in 2009, taking on the voluntary role of President in 2015. Since then, AAUS has matured into the peak national representative body for the commercial RPAS and AAM sector, with more than 4,000 members.

“In our first year we would’ve been lucky to have 30 financial members; while I am so proud to see how far we’ve come, I’m even more excited to see where the Association can go from here,” Reece said.

Over the years Reece has represented the Association in countless policy and regulatory forums, the most recent being co-chairing of the RPAS and AAM Strategic Regulatory Roadmap and Australian Advanced Air Mobility Vision and Roadmap. In addition to advocacy and engagement, Reece has played a key role in maturing the governance and strategy of the Association.

As to the future, Dr Clothier said “... that while I may be stepping back, I won’t be stepping out. I intend to continue in my support for the Association and the emerging aviation industry,” with Reece continuing as an advisor to the AAUS Board. He will also continue as a member of the CASA Aviation Safety Advisory Panel and an independent non-executive Director of the Flight Safety Foundation Australia – roles he holds independently of AAUS.

On behalf of the membership, the AAUS Board offers its profound thanks to Reece for his leadership and immeasurable contributions as President and AAUS Board Member over the last 15 years.

Acceptance of 2023 AGM Minutes

The minutes of the 2023 AAUS AGM were ratified as a true account of that meeting.

Annual Report

Greg Tyrrell delivered highlights of the annual report including discussion of AAUS' advocacy, membership and event activity during 2024.

Read full Annual Report here:

Financial Report

Leigh Simpson delivered the audited Financial Report for FY24.

Key points:

• An independent audit of the financial statements was completed by Colquhouns Qld

• A net deficit of $61,371 in 2023-24 compared to a profit of $29,023 in 2022-23 .

• Revenue of $628,746 was 13% lower than in 2022-23. Our event schedule and performance is a significant factor in our yearly revenue and expenditure outcomes.

• Cash at Bank $209,530

• Looking forward we are expecting a surplus in FY25 associated with a more favourable event schedule and pulling back of some staffing costs.

The financial report for FY24 was accepted.

Election of Directors

In accordance with AAUS Rules, the following people have been appointed to the Board for a 3 year term:

• Renee Bartolo (re-appointment)

• Paul Hardy (re-appointment)

• Jonathan King (re-appointment)

• Anthony Patterson (re-appointment)

• William Waters (new appointment from Leidos Australia)

In accordance with the AAUS Rules, Warren Ludwig has been re-appointed to the Board for a 1 year term (filling the vacated Seat arising from Reece Clothier's retirment).

Election of AAUS Board Executive Positions

In accordance with AAUS Rules, AAUS ran a process to seek nomitations for the Executive Positions of President and Vice President.

• The position of President has been accepted by Andrew Crowe.

• The position of Vice President has been accepted by Anthony Patterson.

• Due to Andrew Crowe vacating the role of Secretary, AAUS will fill that role in coming weeks.

The results of the election of the AAUS Board for 2024 was ratified.

AAUS is proud to release its 2024 Annual Report ahead of today's Annual General Meeting in Melbourne.

Click on image to view / download the document.

AAUS has issued advanced notice of its 2024 Annual General Meeting, which will be taking place in Melbourne on Thursday 21st November 2024. 

Venue: Queensbridge Room, Holiday Inn Express, 35-47 City Road, Southbank, Melbourne
Time: 1530 – 1630 (AEDT) AGM followed by drinks until 1800 (at the same venue)

Formal notice of the AGM will be sent to all members at least 21 days prior to the AGM

This early advice is being provided so members can consider whether they wish to stand for election to the Board of Directors and also whether they wish to raise any matters for discussion and determination at the AGM.

Election of Directors (General Board)

In accordance with the Rules of the Association, the AAUS Board consists of an Executive Committee (President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary) and up to 11 General Board members. A total of five Board members elected at the 2021 AGM will step down from the Board at the forthcoming AGM, but are eligible to offer themselves for re-election.  Members of AAUS are welcome to nominate for the AAUS Board.

Nominees for election to the Board must be financial Individual members of the Association or the nominees of corporate members. (Newsletter members are not eligible).  A nomination form is required, signed by a Nominator (who must be a financial member of AAUS) and by the Nominee. This must be submitted to the Executive Director (greg.tyrrell@aaus.org.au) by 5pm AEDT on Friday 18th October 2024. It must be accompanied by a completed Qualification of Directors form, setting out information on the Nominee’s applicable experience and availability to undertake Board roles. This form will be circulated to members with the AGM notice to allow members to review the qualifications of candidates. 

Nomination Forms

Copies of the Nomination Form and the Qualification of Directors Form are attached.

AAUS Board Nomination Form

AAUS Board Qualification Form

Motions for the AGM

Under the Rules of Association, Motions to be put to the AGM need to be received by the Executive Director at least 21 clear days prior to the AGM (by 5pm AEDT on Friday 18th October 2024). The Motions must be in writing, proposed and seconded by financial members of AAUS.

As the purpose of the AGM is to consider and approve the past operations of the Association and its future operations and governance, it is normal that Motions to be put to the AGM are relevant to those matters.

Following AAUS' networking event with Norton White in Sydney, at which Senior Partners Olga Kubyk and Brendan Lord dicussed drone liability, brainstorming liability issues involving drones in fictional  scenarios which had been designed to bring light to some of the interesting ways in which laws apply to drone operators, Norton White have released copies of the relevant extracts from legislation for AAUS members to download.

If you have any questions regarding the document or would like more information, contact Olga or Brendan directly. 

Since commenting on an earlier draft of Drone Privacy Guidelines, AAUS has engaged with its membership via a survey, and generated discussion amongst AAUS membership advisory groups and other industry stakeholders.   

The main points from the AAUS submission were:

• The majority of AAUS members view community perception of privacy in relation to drone operations as extremely high and support the development of guidelines for drone operators.
• The privacy guidelines should provide a set of recommended best practice for industry to meet community expectations  in relation to privacy and be consistent with Australian Privacy Principles contained with the Privacy Act 1998.
• Any recommendations made in such guidance needs to be pragmatic, proportionate, not add additional burden to drone operators and be consistent with other regulation (ie. applicable Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998). 

Read AAUS' drone privacy submisson

The results of AAUS' RPAS Industry Survey for 2024 are now available to download from the AAUS website. The objective of these surveys is to gain feedback from industry and use that information to guide our advocacy strategy to meet the needs of our members and the constantly evolving industry.

From the data we received we have made attempts to draw insights or takeaways. We have also compared the results with the last time we ran the survey to look for any significant changes over that time period, so we can continue or pivot the focus of our work to ensure we are targeting the most appropriate issues.

The Australian government, along with various local authorities, recognise the significant potential of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) for Australia. Efforts are underway to develop policies to support the growth of the AAM sector. However, it's evident that a unified industry perspective is essential for shaping the vision and roadmap for this sector's development.

The Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems (AAUS), representing the emerging aviation industry, is committed to support the government in facilitating policy development and investment initiatives. Acknowledging the diverse needs of the industry, AAUS is coordinating an industry-wide consensus to guide government efforts.

Led by AAUS' AAM Working Group, which includes various stakeholders from the AAM ecosystem, and informed by national policy discussions and past AAM Summits, AAUS has produced a vision document and roadmap. This document outlines objectives and principles to steer policy development and ensures industry representation in decision-making processes.

A copy of the AAM Industry Vision Document is now available to download from the AAUS website