What advice, if any, does the Ministry for Regulation hold on the requirements applying in Australia to agricultural drones between 25 and 150 kilograms, including any operator certificate, remote pilot licence, registration or accreditation requirement?

Answer

The Ministry's advice was that, at a federal level, Australia permits agricultural drones over 25 kg and up to 150 kg to operate on farmland subject to licensing and registration requirements under standard operating conditions, rather than requiring an equivalent of New Zealand's Civil Aviation Rule Part 102 certification. This was recorded in the advice provided to my office. The Ministry did not provide detailed advice on specific Australian operator certificate, remote pilot licence, registration, or accreditation requirements.