List of Recommendations

Recommendation 1

2.30

The committee recommends that the Australian Government support the development and use of lower-impact technologies for all offshore seismic surveying to reduce the potential impacts of seismic testing on marine animals and the marine environment. This support could include:

joint government/petroleum industry funding for the development of the alternative technologies;

consultation with relevant scientific experts, fisheries, environmental and community organisations; and

an express regulatory requirement for activity proponents to consider and adopt lower-impact technologies in activity proposals.

Recommendation 2

2.95

The committee recommends that the Australian Government significantly fund additional research to study the short-term, long-term and cumulative impacts of seismic testing on marine animals and the marine environment.

Recommendation 3

2.97

The committee recommends that the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority take into consideration the extent of seismic activities in a title area to date, and as proposed in an environment plan, to mitigate the potential for unknown impacts to marine animals and the marine environment as a result of the survey.

Recommendation 4

2.115

The committee recommends that the Australian Government require activity proponents to collect and share marine animal and marine environment-related data that has been collected before, during and after a seismic survey to improve current understanding of the impacts of seismic testing.

Recommendation 5

3.24

The committee recommends that the Australian Government commit to funding research studies that aim to identify and evaluate the impacts of seismic testing on individual species, including commercially and ecologically important marine species, to provide baseline information that can be used to build on the existing knowledge base.

Recommendation 6

3.48

The committee recommends that the Australian Government actively consider a levy on oil and gas companies that conduct offshore seismic activities to fund research into the impacts of seismic testing on marine animals and the marine environment.

Recommendation 7

3.50

The committee recommends that the Australian Government review the Good Standing Agreements mechanism with a view to more effectively using those arrangements to advance research into the impacts of offshore seismic testing on marine animals, including commercial fish species, and the marine environment.

Recommendation 8

3.62

The committee recommends that the Australian Government establish and fund a larger-scale research capability to continually improve the evidence base with respect to environmental marine impacts, including impacts from seismic signal exposure. This capability should utilise a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach to achieve its objectives.

Recommendation 9

3.114

The committee recommends that the Department of Infrastructure, Science, Energy and Resources and the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment explore options for how proponents who submit project proposals for seismic activities to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority can meet the remediation of proven long‑term impacts. In particular, the departments should consider whether there should be any exemptions, including for government research bodies and marine scientists.

Recommendation 10

3.121

The committee recommends that the Department of Infrastructure, Science, Energy and Resources and the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, conduct a public consultation to develop a nationally agreed compensation framework for fishers who are financially affected by the impacts of seismic surveys.

Recommendation 11

4.36

The committee recommends that, for areas proposed for inclusion in an annual acreage release, the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources:

improve the current public consultation process to include all relevant stakeholders; and

implement mechanisms to enable greater consideration of environmental risks and impacts.

Recommendation 12

4.38

The committee recommends that the Australian Government introduce legislation:

to create exclusion zones for seismic activities in or around Australian Marine Parks in 'Commonwealth marine areas', as defined in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; and

to prohibit acreage release and acceptance of environment plans that propose seismic activities in Biologically Important Areas,

to comply with environmental protection legislation and international obligations.

Recommendation 13

4.71

The committee recommends that the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment urgently revise EPBC Act Policy Statement 2.1—Interaction between offshore seismic exploration and whales: Industry Guidelines:

to encompass all marine animals;

to incorporate contemporary scientific research findings;

to require the use of independent, trained Marine Mammal Observers; and

to require the use of passive acoustic monitoring at night-time by trained operators.

In particular, the department should conduct the review using stakeholder feedback and establish independent working groups to advise the department on technical aspects arising from that feedback, similar to the review process used by the New Zealand Department of Conservation in its 2015 review of the Code of Conduct for Minimising Acoustic Disturbance to Marine Mammals from Seismic Survey Operations.

Recommendation 14

4.73

In addition to Recommendation 13, the committee recommends that the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment commission an independent review of the Marine Mammal Observation data collected over a five year period in accordance with the EPBC Act Policy Statement 2.1—Interaction between offshore seismic exploration and whales: Industry Guidelines, to obtain a better understanding of the efficacy of that policy.

Recommendation 15

5.33

The committee recommends that the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority issue a Guidance Note to specifically address the interpretation and demonstration of the key regulatory terms 'as low as reasonably practicable' and 'acceptable level'.

Recommendation 16

5.63

The committee recommends that the Australian Government review the consultation requirements of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Environment) Regulations 2009 and ensure these requirements meet reasonable community expectations and good practice principles.

Recommendation 17

5.68

The committee recommends that the Department of Infrastructure, Science, Energy and Resources, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, develop a collaborative consultation framework to assist activity proponents and relevant persons to comply with the consultation requirements set out in the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Environment) Regulations 2009, including any changes that result from Recommendation 16.

Recommendation 18

5.89

The committee recommends that the Australian Government amend:

the definition of 'relevant person' in the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Environment) Regulations 2009 to include any relevant local governments and local communities in consultations concerning proposed offshore seismic activities; and

the public comment provisions in the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Environment) Regulations 2009 to require activity proponents to proactively engage with local governments and local communities that might be impacted by proposed seismic activities.

Recommendation 19

6.38

The committee recommends that the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority adapt its environmental approvals process to ensure all proponents meet the Family Guidelines on Environmental Impact Assessments for Marine Noise‑generating Activities under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

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