Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee, , 9:35:34 to 9:40:23
Officials address reports of dead whales found near HMAS Stirling on Garden Island. The discussion examines compliance with EPBC Act regulations, including notification procedures to the Department of Climate Change and stop-work protocols during environmental incidents.
Topics: EPBC Act, DCCEEW, Marine parks
Speakers: David Shoebridge, Celia Perkins, Raff Ciccone, Unknown Speaker, Mark Hammond, Interjection
>> All right. Um um thanks thanks Lieutenant General. Um I now my my final question is about dead whales in HMA in on Garden Island in HMAS Sterling. Dead whales your your your um your belly
Senator can you provide more context?
there have been multiple reports of dead whales washing up on Garden Island in or around um actually on the site of HMAS Sterling. Um including in July and August of this year. Um uh are you aware of that that occurring? Uh Celia
Perkins, Deputy Secretary Security and Estate Senator, I can confirm that in or around July, a dead whale uh was in uh Corining Bay uh uh near the adjacent to HMA Sterling.
I've I've received reports of um two dead whales in or about HMAS Sterling um and other injured whales. Are you saying you only have reports of one dead whale?
>> That's correct.
>> Um could I ask you to take on notice if if there are other reports of dead whales?
>> Yes.
>> Um under EPBC regulations when a whale dies or breaches there's a requirement to notify the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Water. Do you know if that happened in relation to HMAS Sterling?
>> Look, let me just confirm. Um uh I was informed of the event as it occurred and as the um removal was enacted. Um we work very closely with DQ on all the elements of our management environmental management of Hatchim Sterling. Let me just confirm the the um the sequence of events there and include that in the question on notice.
>> And as I understand it um EPBC act policy statements require that where there is the death of a sitation which includes a whale there is required to be a power down and a stop work procedure. Um do you know if that happened in
relation to this? Just to be clear, my understanding of the incident is that the the the >> we don't believe the whale had died at the site. Um but rather that had it had floated in as part of the southern migration. Um but as I said, we work very closely with DQ on a number of uh really stringent environmental controls for the works we're doing at Sterling. So we will include that in our answer
for you. Can you include as to whether or not um the policy um was complied with? And I'm not certain whether or not the policy requires it only where the the death has occurred on the site or whether the dead whale appears on and do you say you're not aware of a second whale dying near Sterling Sea? Um, HMA Sterling and I'm I'm advised that happened in or around late August, but you're making a
>> I'm not aware.
>> But you'll make inquiries about that.
>> Absolutely. Yes.
>> And and answer on notice.
>> Yes.
>> Thank you. Thank you.
>> All right. Thank you, Senator. Now, on that note, uh thank you everyone. The department is now released. Thank you very much for your time today. But when we do get back from our dinner break, which will be uh what are we 6:30 quarter 7 back here we'll have the Australian Submarine Agency to kick off.