Aerial Phenomena: General

This file, titled 'Aerial Phenomena: General' (1986/871), 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 specific sightings, as well as internal minutes directing these reports to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for action. A significant portion of the file concerns a sighting on 25 February 1983, reported by a commercial pilot from Crop Protection Consultants. The pilot described observing three intense silver-gold lights moving at high speed near Bindoon, Western Australia. The pilot noted the absence of engine noise, smoke, or afterburner glow, and explicitly stated that the phenomena did not appear to be a military jet. The file also includes a newspaper clipping detailing a policy shift where the RAAF announced it would only investigate UAP reports that suggested a 'defence or national security implication,' citing the high cost and unproductive nature of previous investigations. Administrative notes within the file confirm that reports were routinely forwarded to the RAAF Base at Pearce for necessary action. The file was later subject to a review by the National Archives of Australia in 2013, which resulted in partial exemptions under the Archives Act 1983 to protect the personal privacy of individuals named in the records.