Aerial Phenomena: General

This file, titled 'Aerial Phenomena: General' and held by the National Archives of Australia, documents the administrative handling of public reports regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) by the Australian Department of Aviation in the early 1980s. The file contains correspondence from citizens seeking information on radar coverage and reporting sightings, as well as internal minutes directing these reports to the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force). A significant portion of the file concerns a sighting on 25 February 1983, reported by a commercial pilot. The pilot described observing three intense silver-gold lights moving at high speed near Bindoon, Western Australia. The pilot noted that the objects moved in an arc with a downward trajectory and appeared to accelerate before disappearing behind a ridge. The pilot explicitly stated that the phenomena did not resemble a military jet, noting the absence of noise, smoke, or afterburner glow. The file also includes a newspaper clipping detailing a policy shift where the RAAF announced it would only investigate UAP reports that suggested a direct threat to national security, citing the high cost and unproductive nature of previous investigations. The administrative records show that the Department of Aviation acted primarily as a conduit, forwarding reports to the RAAF for necessary action. The file was later subject to a formal review by the National Archives of Australia in 2013, resulting in partial exemptions under the Archives Act 1983 to protect the personal privacy of individuals named in the records.