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 

AAUS is proud once again to recognise individuals and organisations that have made a significant contribution to the Australian uncrewed systems industry.

As in previous years AAUS received an amazing number of nominations for the 2024 awards, highlighting the strength and level of innovation that is taking place in our industry  All the finalists made impressive reading and we thank everyone for takling the time to nominate, the high standards made judging very difficult.

The judging panel for 2024 consisted of Warren Ludwig, Sue Keay and Greg Ferguson. 

This years awards were presented at the AAUS Gala Dinner held at Hotel Realm Canberra on the evening of March 5th, 2024

We congratulate the AAUS Industry Champions 2024.

The Leadership Award recognises individuals or organisations that lead the way with advocacy work that strives to improve the commercial and / or technological viability of the unmanned system industry.

The 2024 winner is Brendan Williams, Boeing. Brendan is a technical leader in all regards. He is self-less and tireless in his efforts to advance the industry in Australia and on the global stage. His work has led to significant changes to policy and rulemaking, technologies and operations; with many of the regulations today connected to ideas, initiatives and engagements he has led over the last 15 years.

Brendan Williams (Boeing)

 

The Innovation – technology Award recognises organisations that have developed drone technologies including drone systems or sub-systems that has had a significant positive impact for end users or the broader uncrewed systems industry.

The 2024 winner is Wildlife Drones in recognition for the development of the world’s first robotic radio-tracking drone system prototype and subsequently into a viable product in production now in its second generation (called a payload which attaches to several off the shelf drones). The innovative technology empowers land managers and wildlife researchers to track small animal movements like never before offering a much needed alternative to traditional animal tracking technology.

Wildlife Drones

 

 

The Innovation – Operations Award recognises organisations or individuals that has developed novel and innovative operational capabilities to benefit customers. 

The 2024 winner is Sensorem, in recognition for developing an innovative solution to address the significant damage caused by birds at CBH grain storage sites in Western Australia. By utilising drone-in-a-box technology and conducting remote BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) operations, Sensorem has successfully developed a ground-breaking solution to tackle the persistent issue of bird damage at CBH grain storage sites across the Wheatbelt in Western Australia.

Ed Boxall (Sensorem)

 

The Education & Safety Award recognises individuals or organisations who demonstrate leadership in educating the unmanned systems industry with particular emphasis of developing a safety-focussed culture.

The 2024 winner is FPV Australia in regcognition for their outstanding Chief Remote Training Program.  By embracing the principles of accessibility, comprehensiveness, and practical relevance, the program not only equipped Pilots with the necessary technical skills but also instilled in them the leadership qualities essential for steering drone operations towards success. 

John Fleming and Angel Wong (FPV Australia)

 

The Social Impact Award replaces the Humanitarian Achievement Award and recognises individuals or organisations who demonstrate a mission, capability or technology that has a positive impact on society or has focused on the betterment of the uncrewed industry as a whole.

The 2024 winner is AUAVS Shark Surveillance Program. SLSNSW Australian UAV Service's (AUAVS) Shark Surveillance Program, funded by NSW is of remarkable scale and has been instrumental in addressing a significant social and industry issue, while making a positive impact on the community. It has also been a true example of a lasting, community embedded UAV program, operated at scale by diverse members of the community.

Paul Hardy and SLSNSW Team (SLSNSW Australian UAV)

 

The NextGen Achievement Award recognises young individuals (under 35 yo) that demonstrate elite capability and leadership in their field within the uncrewed systems sector.

The 2024 winner is Isaac Palmer (DCCEEW). Isaac is an outstanding young professional who is being recognised for his advocacy efforts on behalf of industry

Isaac Palmer (DCCEEW)

 

The Diversity & Inclusion Award recognises individuals or organisations who have made an outstanding contribution to supporting diversity and fostering inclusion within the uncrewed systems industry.  

The 2024 winner is Sue Osborn (Skyshows/Mirragin) in recognition for her tireless efforts to create opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds and under represented groups to access, participate and succeed in our industry.  

Sue Osborn (Skyshows/Mirragin)

Analysis commissioned by Airservices Australia predicts the annual number of drone flights in Australian skies will surge from 1.5 million a year in 2023 to 60.4 million a year by 2043.

The report, Sizing the future drone and advanced air mobility market in Australia, was produced for Airservices to inform the ongoing discussion on how Australia can best prepare for and benefit from the increasing availability of drone technology. The report is now available to download from Airservice Australia's website

The exponential growth in drone traffic is expected to be driven by increasing demand from the transport and logistics sector, which is forecast to make up 77 per cent of the increase in drone traffic. The report also predicts that by 2043 Australian farmers will be making 500,000 drone flights annually to monitor crops, while drones will make 1.5 million food deliveries to Australian households.

Emergency services are also forecast to make increasing use of drone technology. More than 300,000 flights will be made annually to support frontline police and 80,000 flights in support of surf lifesavers, while 100,000 patients will be transported to hospital by a specialised new air ambulances.

Drones are already employed widely in Australian agriculture and mining operations, where they are used for operational monitoring, surveying and mapping. Several new market entrants are also delivering food and goods by drone, with more than 120,000 trips per year taking place already.

Electric air taxis are expected to make nearly 1 million flights in 2043, with providers targeting Australian launches to coincide with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane.

Responsible for the safe and efficient use of Australian airspace, Airservices commissioned the scoping report to inform its future planning for uncrewed aircraft traffic management—a growing part of the aviation industry.

The report notes there is broad agreement among industry stakeholders that achieving and managing the increase in drone traffic will require an appropriate and responsive regulatory framework, and a willingness to work collaboratively to enable the safe and sustainable growth of uncrewed aviation.

“Airservices is building the technology foundations to support increasing drone and air taxi use in Australia, and key to that is collaboration between all stakeholders,” said Jason Harfield, Airservices Chief Executive Officer.

“Airservices’ no.1 priority is safety, and we look forward to working with industry, government and community to chart a course for next-generation technology in Australian skies.”

Luke Gumley, Airservices’ Head of Transformation Uncrewed Services, said: “Airservices is partnering with industry to deliver the backbone to a world-leading air traffic management system for drones which will support the safe and efficient integration of all aircraft including drones and air taxis into Australia’s increasingly busy airspace.

“The Flight Information Management System is being built using innovative digital and automated technologies, cyber resilience, and privacy as core foundations.

“To ensure open and transparent industry engagement, Airservices has drawn together key industry stakeholders to form the Uncrewed Services Advisory Network to enable us to better connect directly with drone and air taxi operators, and the wider aviation industry.​”

AAUS is supportive of this research as it highlights the potential for industry and the benefits drones can deliver to Australia providing all current barriers to regulation be effectively addressed. AAUS also supports the data driven approach taken by Airservices and the Australian Government to inform policy development and implementation.

AAUS is also part of Airservice Australia's Uncrewed Services Advisory Network (USAN) and plays an active role in the discissions around the opportunities and challenges of integrating Australia's airspace.

Following last week's AGM we are pleased to announce our AAUS Board election results. 

Congratulations to Keirin Joyce, Mitch Deam and Natasha Santha for their appointment to the AAUS board, and welcome back Leigh Simpson and Andrew Crowe. 

All five have been elected to the board for three year terms.

We would also like to recognise retiring board members Max Lye, Terry Martin and Andrew Duggan and thank them for their contributions and support during their time on the AAUS Board.