Historic heritage impact assessment in the permission system September/2016 Objective To provide guidance on assessing impacts to historic heritage values within the permission system. Target audience Primary: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority officers assessing applications for permission. Secondary: Groups and individuals applying for permission; interested members of the public. CONSULTATION NOTES: 1. These guidelines form part of a broader package which has been released for public comment and should be read in conjunction with: a. The draft revised Environmental impact management policy: permission system (Permission system policy) explains how the management of the permission system ensures consistency, transparency and achievement of the objects of the Act. b. The draft Risk assessment procedure explains how GBRMPA determines risk level and the need for avoidance, mitigation or offset measures. c. The draft Guidelines: Applications for permission (Application guidelines) explain when permission is required and how to apply. d. The draft Checklist of application information proposes information required to be submitted before an application is accepted by GBRMPA. e. The draft Guidelines: Permission assessment and decision (Assessment guidelines) explain how applications are assessed and decisions made. f. The draft Information sheet on deemed applications under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC deemed application information sheet) explains how application, assessment and decision processes work for those applications that require approval under both the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act). g. The draft Information sheet on joint Marine Parks permissions with Queensland (Joint Marine Parks permissions information sheet) explains how GBRMPA and the Queensland Government work together to administer a joint permission system. h. The draft Guidelines: Value impact assessment in the permission system (Value assessment guidelines) provide further detail on specific values of the Marine Park, including how to determine risk and possible avoidance, mitigation or offset measures. i. The draft Guidelines: Location-specific assessment in the permission system (Location-specific assessment guidelines) highlight places in the Marine Park that have site-specific management plans, policies or other information which may be relevant to decisions. j. The draft Guidelines: Activity impact assessment in the permission system (Activity assessment guidelines) provide further detail on how GBRMPA assesses and manages specific activities. k. The Managing facilities discussion paper and draft Guidelines: Activity impact assessment in the permission system – Fixed facilities propose changes to how GBRMPA manages facilities in the Marine Park. 2. Amendments are underway to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983, as outlined in the Response Document prepared after consultation in December 2015. These guidelines have been written to reflect the proposed amendments. 3. You can provide feedback on this document via our online survey, which can also be accessed from our webpage at www.gbrmpa.gov.au/zoning-permits-and-plans/permits/improving-permissions Purpose 1. Permission decisions contribute to maintaining and enhancing the historic heritage values of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. 1 of 17 NOT GOVERNMENT POLICY – Draft for consultation DRAFT Guideline s – Historic heritage value assessment Context 2. As described in the Great Barrier Reef Region Strategic Assessment: Strategic Assessment Report 2014 (Strategic Assessment) and the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2014 (Outlook Report), historic heritage: a. relates to the occupation and use of an area since the arrival of European and other migrants b. describes the way in which the many cultures of Australian people have modified, shaped and created the cultural environment. 3. These guidelines consider three historic heritage values of the Marine Park: a. World War II features and sites b. Historic voyages and shipwrecks c. Other places of historic significance. World War II features and sites Description 4. During World War II (1939 to 1945), the Great Barrier Reef Region was a major staging arena for the Pacific theatre and featured significant naval, air, army and medical bases. Hundreds of thousands of Australian and allied personnel served in the region. 5. The historic heritage features and sites related to World War II date from 1939 to 1948. They include shipwrecks, aircraft wrecks, unexploded ordnance and structures on islands. Most submerged sites have not been located, and minimal information has been recorded for those that have been located. 6. About 112 aircraft wrecks are estimated to be located within the Marine Park, mostly from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF). Other allied and Japanese planes may be located within the Marine Park, although none have been formally recorded. a. It is difficult to put an accurate figure on the number of aircraft wrecks within the Marine Park as most wreck sites remain undiscovered. For example, a plane may have departed Townsville for Port Moresby and not been seen again. In this case the wreck could be anywhere along that transit line. b. Of the known aircraft wrecks, 159 service personnel are estimated to be missing in action (MIA). Twenty-five of these men were lost on two Catalina wrecks which are now protected by the declaration of Maritime Cultural Heritage Protection Special Management Areas around the sites. 7. Three major World War II era shipwrecks are known in the Marine Park: a. The Royal Australian Naval vessel HMAS Warrnambool (I), a 186 foot minesweeper, survived the bombing of Darwin in 1942. She then served throughout Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. She sank in 1947 while clearing mines in the northern Great Barrier Reef to restore normal shipping, with the loss of four men.1 b. At Cid Harbour on the western side of Whitsunday Island, a series of trials of ‘X’ type midget submarines were conducted. One of the ‘X’ types surfaced and one of the two crew members leapt out. The submarine then sank, taking the other crew member with it. It was never re- located. c. The HMCS Protector was the only seafaring warship commissioned by the South Australian Government, in 1884, to defend against a perceived Russian threat. A 180 foot gunboat, she served in the Chinese Boxer Rebellion and World War I before being converted to civilian use. During World War II, the vessel was requisitioned by the U.S. Army. While under tow to Papua New Guinea, the vessel collided with a tug off Gladstone and was abandoned. She was towed to Heron Island in 1944 to serve as a breakwater, where she can still be viewed today.2 8. Wrecks of minor support vessels such as launches, barges and pontoons are located throughout the Marine Park but are poorly recorded. 9. A number of vessels and aircraft which survived World War II were re-purposed for civilian use after the war and eventually sank or were scuttled within the Marine Park. Although not lost during World War II, they still have significance for World War II heritage, due to their history of service. 10. A variety of World War II support structures remain in the Marine Park. These include Yanks Jetty at Orpheus Island and Catalina flying boat ramps. 2 of 17 NOT GOVERNMENT POLICY – Draft for consultation DRAFT Guideline s – Historic heritage value assessment 11. Large amounts of unexploded ordnance (such as cannon shells, missiles and bombs) and chemical warfare agents were deliberately dumped at sea throughout the region at the end of World War II. The largest post-war dumpsites were offshore from Cairns and Townsville. Chemical warfare agents were also dumped off Townsville, Bowen and Proserpine in the late 1940s. The Australian Defence Force has retained some records about the locations of these dumpsites, but the details of precise locations, quantities and types of materials are unreliable. These dump sites form an important part of Australia’s World War II heritage. When they are identified, an assessment should be conducted to evaluate how to preserve and record this heritage while also protecting the environment and human safety. 12. Australia laid thousands of sea mines in the Great Barrier Reef during World War II. Mine sweeping activities after the war resulted in the Great Barrier Reef being declared safe for shipping by 1948, but navigational charts still note former mined areas which may be unsafe for bottom activities such as trawling or anchoring. Encounters with World War II sea mines are rare, although they occasionally wash up after cyclones. These may pose a risk to humans or the environment, so they are normally destroyed by the Australian Defence Force. Photographs taken before destruction can assist in recording and preserving this heritage. Importance 13. World War II features and sites are a significant part of Australia’s National heritage. In the context of world wars, this was the first time that mainland Australia came under direct attack, and it became the deadliest conflict to date in world history. Over 27,000 Australians lost their lives in World War II, 65 per cent in the Pacific theatre. 14. World War II is also credited with causing a major shift in Australia’s alliances, away from reliance on the United Kingdom and towards a stronger connection with the United States. Many World War II features and sites are significant not only to Australia but also to other countries (such as the United States, Germany and Japan) so there may be international concerns arising from impacts on historic heritage values. 15. The remains of some personnel have not been recovered, remaining in situ in plane and shipwrecks. Sites that may contain the remains of service personnel are considered highly significant and worthy of dedicated individual protection. For example, in 2015 two Catalina aircraft wreck sites were declared Maritime Cultural Heritage Protection Special Management Areas to protect the remains of service personnel that remain in situ.