NSW beaches to get dawn-to-dusk drone patrols in $34m anti-shark program

Shark-spotting drones will fly from dawn to dusk throughout the year at 70 beaches in New South Wales under an expanded monitoring program, the state government says. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the $34m initiative would restore confidence to beachgoers after a series of shark sightings and attacks. They include one by a great white shark on Sydney mother Leah Stewart, who is no longer in a critical condition following the attack at Coogee beach earlier this month. “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,” Minns said on Sunday. The 70 beaches covered year-round from 1 July will include all 38 of Sydney’s ocean beaches plus 32 in the rest of the state.