Mount Isa City Council CEO Sharon Ibardolaza said we are investigating options for using unmanned aerial vehicles or drones for monitoring and maintaining public amenities and physical assets, particularly for critical infrastructure such as water, drainage systems and public roads.

“Due to the council’s remote location, there are assets in places that can be difficult or dangerous to reach,” Ms Ibardolaza said.

“There are also areas that are difficult to access, such as building rooftops where machinery is situated.

“Currently the Council doesn’t have any drones, but is assessing their advantages in terms of improved safety and capacity to detect faults sooner,” she said.

Ms Ibardolaza said improved monitoring has been shown to help extend the life of key assets and save money over the medium to long term.