Northern Beaches Advocate:
A major NSW Government boost for drones was announced at Mona Vale, with support from the family of Mercury Psillakis.
NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty was at Mona Vale Beach this morning (Sunday, 03 May) to announce that $650,000 in funding for drones had been committed to Surfing NSW for shark protection.
Minister Moriarty, along with local MPs Jacqui Scruby and Michael Regan, were joined by Surfing NSW Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lucas Townsend and members of the Psillakis family, including twin brother Michael, wife Maria and daughter Freedom.
Minister Moriarty said the commitment by the Minns Government, following the death of 57-year-old Northern Beaches surfer Mercury Psillakis who was attacked by a shark at Dee Why Beach on 06 September 2025, was specifically aimed to improve beach safety for surfers.
“This is an important partnership between the Minns Labor Government and Surfing NSW. We’re working together to provide funding for better beach safety for surfers and boardriders who are surfing on our beautiful beaches in NSW.
“It’s a $30 million package altogether that the Minns Labour Government is funding for our Shark Management Program.
“Following the tragic death of Mercury Psillakis last year, we’ve been working closely with his family and with Surfing NSW to identify some new and modern ways that we can be working with surfers to provide resources for better safety for people who are surfing on our beaches.
“This package today is a $650,000 package, specifically out of that $30 million, to work with Surfing NSW, to train 125 new drone pilots and to fund 60 new drones that will operate on our beaches.
“They’ll be operated by Surfing NSW, who began the training for their pilots yesterday. They’ll be operating above surfing events when surfers are competing, but also when they’re training, to provide more safety for surfers,” said Minister Moriarty.
Surfing NSW CEO Lucas Townsend said it was important that shark surveillance should not stop with the end of the Surf Life Saving NSW patrol season last weekend.
“Surf Life Saving have a patrol season, whereas our boardriding clubs operate all year round. What we’re building here is a voluntary network of volunteer pilots within our club network.
“We’ve just wrapped up the Surf Life Saving patrol season, which got extended through to the end of the Anzac Day long weekend. What that means for clubs here, and in our regional areas, is there’s no surveillance.
“Now, when our clubs run their competitions, their weekly training sessions, or their inter-clubs competitions, they’ve got that surveillance at their disposal.
“This is first of all a topic of real concern, because every one of these clubs has a booming junior pathway. The ‘Groms’ as we call them, particularly under 12, our numbers are going through the roof.
“They’re over a quarter of our entire membership in the state and nobody wants to see that participation drop off. Clubs have been leaning in very actively to get involved in the program,” said Mr Townsend.
Dale Cohen