AMSA provided a submission in response to the Offshore Renewable Energy Inrastructure Area Proposal: Bass Strait off Gippsland on 7 October 2022.
Rhe following recommendations were provided on how offshore renewable energy projects can share the area with other users and interests:
- Create genuine partnerships and pathways of communication with Traditional Owners at all stages of the development (proposal, site selection, planning, construction, operation and decommissioning).
- Engage in holistic, ecosystem-based and evidence led, planning for sustainable development of economic activity in Australia’s marine estate of which offshore renewables will be a critical element.
- Ensure all physical and biological data collected as part of the projects are open access and archived in national data collections (e.g. Australia Ocean Data Network (AODN) portal, AUSEABED, SEAMAP Australia).
- Establish best practice baseline survey and monitoring programs that are coordinated across projects and publish findings in peer-reviewed scientific literature.
- Consider opportunities to enhance environmental outcomes by promoting habitat values of infrastructure and nature-based design solutions.