$120m NSW shark monitoring overhaul introduces more drones, extra shark nets

More drones and shark nets will be used to keep swimmers safe under a multimillion dollar shark monitoring package announced by the NSW government ahead of spring and summer.

The $120m shark management package has been in the works since a series of shocking shark attacks rocked NSW beaches and Sydney Harbour, most notably in January 2026 when four separate shark attacks were recorded in 48 hours.

As part of the package, two new tagged shark listening stations have been installed in Sydney Harbor near Balmoral in Middle Harbour and Lady Bay in the Harbour’s east.

The stations will send alerts directly to the SharkSmart app whenever tagged sharks swim within 500m of their location.

A total of $34m from the package has been dedicated to expanding drone surveillance, which will officially begin on September 1 across 97 NSW beaches.

Beaches will be monitored by drones from 6.15am to 5pm from September 1 as daylight increases, and monitoring will increase again when the school holiday period begins on September 26.

From September 1, 51 shark nets will be installed at beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong, and 305 SMART drumlines will be deployed in waters between Tweed Heads and Bega.

Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the government was focused on enhancing the safety of people swimming on NSW beaches.

“While the risk of a shark interaction can never be eliminated entirely, everyone can take the simple steps to reduce their risk, including checking local conditions and downloading the SharkSmart App,” she said.

“I acknowledge there are some mixed views on shark nets, but we will use all tools available to enhance the safety of people swimming at our beaches and that includes nets rolling out on 1 September.”

In November 2025, 25-year-old Livia Mulheim was killed by a bull shark while swimming at Kylie’s Beach in Crowdy Bay

In early January, 12-year-old Nico Antic was also killed by a Bull Shark as he and a group of friends were swimming in Sydney Harbour near Vaucluse.

Months later, in June, Coogee local Leah Stewart was bitten by a Great White Shark during her regular morning swim at Coogee Beach. She survived after losing an arm and spending weeks in hospital.

Originally published as $120m NSW shark monitoring overhaul introduces more drones, extra shark nets