Department of Defence 12-Jun-2015 Talisman Sabre 2015 Final Public Environment Report 12-Jun-2015 Prepared for – Department of Defence – ABN: 68 706 814 312 AECOM Talisman Sabre 2015 – Final Public Environment Report Talisman Sabre 2015 Final Public Environment Report Client: Department of Defence ABN: 68 706 814 312 Prepared by AECOM Australia Pty Ltd Level 9, 8 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia T +61 3 9653 1234 F +61 3 9654 7117 www.aecom.com ABN 20 093 846 925 ABN 20 093 846 925 In association with Ground Zero Environmental Pty Ltd 12-Jun-2015 Job No.: 60322418 AECOM in Australia and New Zealand is certified to the latest version of ISO9001, ISO14001, AS/NZS4801 and OHSAS18001. © AECOM Australia Pty Ltd (AECOM). All rights reserved. AECOM has prepared this document for the sole use of the Client and for a specific purpose, each as expressly stated in the document. No other party should rely on this document without the prior written consent of AECOM. 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Subject to the above conditions, this document may be transmitted, reproduced or disseminated only in its entirety. 12-Jun-2015 Prepared for – Department of Defence – ABN: 68 706 814 312 AECOM Talisman Sabre 2015 – Final Public Environment Report Quality Information Document Talisman Sabre 2015 Ref 60322418 Date 12-Jun-2015 Prepared by Abe Francis, Venetia Stewart and Kieran Power Reviewed by Matt MacFarlane Revision History Authorised Revision Revision Date Details Name/Position Signature 0 18-Jul-2014 Preliminary draft for review Matthew MacFarlane Project Director 01 20-Aug-2014 Draft for Defence review Matthew MacFarlane Project Director 02 12-Sep-2014 Draft for Defence clearance Matthew MacFarlane Project Director 03 17-Oct-2014 Draft report for public Matthew MacFarlane consultation Project Director 04 19-Dec-2014 Post consultation updated Matthew MacFarlane draft report for client review Project Director 05 08-May-2015 Updated draft report for Matthew MacFarlane client review Project Director 06 29-May-2015 Updated draft report for Matthew MacFarlane Defence clearance Project Director 07 12-Jun-2015 Final report Matthew MacFarlane Project Director 12-Jun-2015 Prepared for – Department of Defence – ABN: 68 706 814 312 AECOM Talisman Sabre 2015 – Final Public Environment Report Table of Contents Executive Summary i 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Background and objectives of Exercise TS15 1 1.2 Locations 1 1.3 Environmental assessment background 4 1.4 TS15 status and timeframe 4 1.5 PER objectives 4 1.6 PER structure 4 1.7 PER methodology 5 1.8 Community and stakeholder consultation 5 2.0 Legislative and policy context 6 2.1 Commonwealth legislation 6 2.2 International conventions and agreements 7 2.3 State and Territory 7 2.3.1 Northern Territory 7 2.3.2 Queensland 8 2.4 Other agreements 8 2.4.1 Bradshaw Partnering Indigenous Land Use Agreement 8 2.4.2 Delamere Indigenous Land Use Agreement 8 2.4.3 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 8 2.4.4 Permissive Occupancy Agreement for the Intertidal Zone – Fog Bay beach landing sites 9 3.0 Environmental management across the Defence estate 10 3.1 Defence Environmental Policy 11 3.2 Defence Environmental Strategic Plan 11 3.3 Joint Statement of Environment and Heritage Principles 12 3.4 Defence Environmental Management System 12 3.5 Defence national policies and guidelines 12 3.5.1 Training Area Sustainability Monitoring and Reporting Policy 12 3.5.2 Defence Environmental Impact Assessment Process 13 3.5.3 Defence Pollution Prevention and Contamination Management Strategies 13 3.5.4 Defence Waste Minimisation Policy 14 3.5.5 Defence Climate Change Policy 14 3.6 Environmental control mechanisms 14 3.6.1 Defence Instructions 14 3.6.2 Standard Operating Procedures 14 3.6.3 Standing Orders and Standing Instructions for Training Areas, Bases or Ranges 14 3.6.4 Service-specific Environmental Management Plans 14 3.6.5 Environmental Clearance Certificates 16 3.6.6 Training Area Safety and Management Information System 16 3.7 Restricted areas 16 4.0 Description of Exercise TS15 18 4.1 Exercise objectives 18 4.2 Participants 18 4.3 Proposed activities by location 18 4.4 Weapons and equipment 26 4.5 Timeframe for TS15 28 4.6 Consultation 28 4.7 How Exercise TS15 compares to TS13 and other previous exercises 30 4.8 Alternatives to TS15 30 4.9 Social and economic aspects 30 4.10 Health and safety 31 5.0 Existing values and potential impacts by TS15 location 32 5.1 Risk-based evaluation 32 12-Jun-2015 Prepared for – Department of Defence – ABN: 68 706 814 312 AECOM Talisman Sabre 2015 – Final Public Environment Report 5.1.1 Identification of potential impacts 32 5.1.2 Initial risk evaluation 33 5.1.3 Identification of TS15-specific mitigation/control measures 33 5.1.4 Residual risk evaluation 33 5.1.5 Key risk assessment findings 33 5.2 Bradshaw Field Training Area 36 5.2.1 Location and access 36 5.2.2 Existing values and potential impacts 37 5.2.3 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 40 5.3 Mount Bundey Training Area 41 5.3.1 Location and access 41 5.3.2 Existing values and potential impacts 42 5.3.3 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 44 5.4 Delamere Range Facility 45 5.4.1 Location and access 45 5.4.2 Existing values and potential impacts 46 5.4.3 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 48 5.5 Northern Territory beach landing sites 49 5.5.1 Location and access 49 5.5.2 Existing values and potential impacts 50 5.5.3 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 55 5.6 Lee Point, Northern Territory 56 5.6.1 Location and access 56 5.6.2 Existing values and potential impacts 57 5.6.3 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 60 5.7 Shoalwater Bay Training Area 61 5.7.1 Location and access 61 5.7.2 Existing values and potential impacts 62 5.7.3 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 66 5.8 Cowley Beach Training Area 67 5.8.1 Location and access 67 5.8.2 Existing values and potential impacts 68 5.8.3 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 72 5.9 Townsville Field Training Area 73 5.9.1 Location and access 73 5.9.2 Existing values and potential impacts 74 5.9.3 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 76 5.10 Timor and Arafura Seas 77 5.10.1 Location 77 5.10.2 Existing values and potential impacts 77 5.10.3 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 80 5.11 Coral Sea (including Saumarez Reef Air Weapons Range) 81 5.11.1 Location 81 5.11.2 Existing values and potential impacts 82 5.11.3 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 84 5.12 RAAF bases and civil airports 85 5.12.1 Potential impacts 86 5.12.2 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 87 5.13 Depots and staging sites 87 5.13.1 Potential impacts 87 5.13.2 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 87 5.14 Port facilities 88 5.14.1 Potential impacts 88 5.14.2 Site-specific policies, plans and control measures 89 6.0 Exercise TS15 environmental risk management 90 6.1 Risk elimination 90 6.2 Environmental roles and responsibilities 91 6.3 Environmental awareness 92 12-Jun-2015 Prepared for – Department of Defence – ABN: 68 706 814 312 AECOM Talisman Sabre 2015 – Final Public Environment Report 6.4 Exercise operational controls 93 6.4.1 TS15 Environmental Management Plan 93 6.4.2 TS15 Combined Exercise Instruction 93 6.4.3 Operation Orders 93 6.4.4 Procedure cards 93 6.4.5 Environmental Clearance Certificates 93 6.5 Environmental monitoring during Exercise implementation 93 6.6 Post-exercise environmental reporting 94 6.7 Information and controls for specific issues of concern 95 6.7.1 Quarantine 95 6.7.2 Waste management 96 6.7.3 Land and water contamination 96 6.7.4 Weed management 97 6.7.5 Whales and other cetaceans 97 6.7.6 Sensitive vegetation and habitats 98 6.7.7 Low flying aircraft noise 98 6.7.8 Jamming signals 98 6.7.9 Fire 98 6.7.10 Oil pollution at sea 98 6.7.11 Heritage 98 6.7.12 Nuclear activities and prohibited weapons 99 6.7.13 Nuclear powered vessels 99 6.7.14 High explosive residues 100 6.7.15 Aircraft crashes 100 6.7.16 Aircraft emergency fuel dumping 100 6.7.17 Fires aboard vessels 100 6.8 Community and stakeholder consultation 100 7.0 EPBC Act significant impact analysis 101 7.1 Matters of National Environmental Significance 101 7.1.1 World Heritage properties 101 7.1.2 National Heritage places 102 7.1.3 Wetlands of International Importance 103 7.1.4 Listed threatened species 105 7.1.5 Listed threatened ecological communities 126 7.1.6 Listed migratory species 128 7.1.7 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park 130 7.1.8 Nuclear actions 133 7.1.9 The Commonwealth marine environment 133 7.1.10 Protection of water resources from coal seam gas development and large coal mining development 136 7.2 The whole of environment on Commonwealth land or by a Commonwealth agency action136 7.3 Principles of ecologically sustainable development 145 8.0 Conclusion 146 9.0 References 148 Appendix A Joint Statement of Environmental and Heritage Principles A Appendix B Defence Environmental Risk Tool B Appendix C List of Threatened Communities, Species and Migratory