The Turnbull government has launched a safety review into rules governing the use of drones.
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester will announce the review on Monday just weeks after defending a decision by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to ease licence regulations on unmanned drones.
Pilots criticised the changes which abolished a requirement for commercial operators of lightweight drones to hold a licence and were characterised by the government as part of a drive to cut red tape.
Those same changes will be assessed in the review.
The Australian Federation of Air Pilots has warned the relaxed system would encourage unlicensed drone operators to "fly anywhere" - at heights of up to 4000 feet - risking a catastrophic collision with commercial aircraft and helicopters.
But a government spokeswoman said the contentious licence changes did not affect existing operating rules which forbid the use of drones within 5.5 kilometres of airports and come with penalties of up to $9000 for breaches.
Mr Chester said the review, which will be more general than just last month's changes, will be overseen by CASA and seek to "enable growth and innovation in drone usage".
The use of drones to film social, musical and sports events, as well as document local areas of interest, has been on the rise as the price of quadcopters, fixed-wing and mini drones has fallen.
Despite announcing another look at the rules, Mr Chester defended CASA's latest amendments, insisting they "place strict requirements on how and where drones can be operated" and were formulated in consultation with industry.
"Under the new rules commercial operators are still required to register with CASA and to notify CASA where they intend to operate. Heavy penalties apply to those who break the rules and serious breaches may be referred for criminal prosecution," he said.
"The Australian government is committed to regulations that promote the safety of people, property, and drone operators."
The licence changes mean any drone weighing less than two kilograms can be operated without a licence but also allow farmers to fly drones of up to 25kg over their own properties without the need for a commercial licence.
Airservices Australia has confirmed several drone-related incidents in Sydney airspace since August, the most serious of which involved a commercial pilot reporting a large drone within 100 metres of his aircraft, prompting the shutdown of one runway for an hour.
