navy ammunitioning facility, twofold bay, nsw

63 Pages·2000·0.17 MB·English

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works
REPORT
relating to the proposed
NAVY AMMUNITIONING FACILITY,
TWOFOLD BAY, NSW
(Sixth Report of 2000)
THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
2000
The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia
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Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works
22 June 2000
Canberra
© Commonwealth of Australia 2000
ISBN 0 642 43883 8
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Membership of the Committee....................................................................................................vii
Extract from the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives...............................viii
THE REPORT
THE REFERENCE.........................................................................................................1
THE COMMITTEE’S INVESTIGATION.........................................................................2
BACKGROUND.............................................................................................................3
Sydney ammunition pipeline.....................................................................................................3
Point Wilson East Coast Armament Complex.........................................................................4
THE NEED.....................................................................................................................4
Committee’s Conclusion...............................................................................................................5
THE PROPOSAL...........................................................................................................5
Scope of the work.......................................................................................................................5
The sites......................................................................................................................................6
PLANNING....................................................................................................................7
Explosives storage and handling principles...........................................................................7
Net Explosive Quantity..............................................................................................................7
Safeguarding arcs......................................................................................................................8
Effect of explosion within arcs.................................................................................................8
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Planning implications of arcs...................................................................................................9
DESIGN.......................................................................................................................10
Design standards.....................................................................................................................10
Design principles......................................................................................................................10
Design features.........................................................................................................................11
WHARF AND DREDGED BERTH..............................................................................11
Description and functions.......................................................................................................11
Siting considerations...............................................................................................................12
Structure....................................................................................................................................12
Services.....................................................................................................................................13
Dredged berth...........................................................................................................................13
JETTY AND ACCESS ROAD.....................................................................................14
Description and functions.......................................................................................................14
Services.....................................................................................................................................14
LAND-BASED DEPOT................................................................................................15
Description and functions.......................................................................................................15
Explosive storehouses............................................................................................................15
Transit facility...........................................................................................................................16
Truck parking bays...................................................................................................................16
Administration building...........................................................................................................16
Non-explosive storehouse and workshop.............................................................................16
Services.....................................................................................................................................17
Bushfire protection..................................................................................................................17
Security.....................................................................................................................................18
Committee’s Recommendation..................................................................................................18
TRANSPORTATION OF ORDNANCE........................................................................19
Route.........................................................................................................................................19
Committee’s Recommendation..................................................................................................19
Traffic.........................................................................................................................................19
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THE LOCATION OF TWOFOLD BAY........................................................................20
Strategic direction....................................................................................................................20
Economic benefits....................................................................................................................21
Twofold Bay..............................................................................................................................21
Committee’s Conclusion.............................................................................................................22
ENVIRONMENTAL STATUTORY PROCEDURES....................................................22
Notice of Intention....................................................................................................................22
Guidelines for preparation of EIS...........................................................................................22
Environmental Impact Statement...........................................................................................23
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.......................................................................................24
Impact on flora and fauna........................................................................................................24
Environmental management...................................................................................................24
Committee’s Recommendation..................................................................................................25
Dredging of turning basin.......................................................................................................25
Noise..........................................................................................................................................27
Visual impact............................................................................................................................27
Committee’s Conclusion.............................................................................................................28
Committee’s Recommendation..................................................................................................28
HAZARDS AND RISKS...............................................................................................28
Operating principles.................................................................................................................28
Military target............................................................................................................................28
Accidental explosion of ammunition......................................................................................29
Depleted uranium ammunition................................................................................................29
Nuclear powered or nuclear-armed ships..............................................................................29
Bushfire.....................................................................................................................................29
HERITAGE..................................................................................................................30
LOCAL IMPACT..........................................................................................................31
Employment..............................................................................................................................31
Provision of equipment, services and supplies....................................................................32
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Access to the wharf and jetty..................................................................................................33
COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS OF THE WHARF.......................................................33
Wharf availability......................................................................................................................33
Commercial utilisation.............................................................................................................34
CONSULTATION AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT......................................................36
PROJECT DELIVERY.................................................................................................38
COST AND TIMETABLE.............................................................................................38
Committee’s Recommendation..................................................................................................39
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS...........................................................40
APPENDICES
Appendix A—Witnesses..........................................................................................A-1
Appendix B—Associated Drawings.......................................................................B-1
Appendix C—Environment Assessment Report...................................................C-1
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Chair Hon. Judi Moylan MP
Deputy Chair Hon. Janice Crosio MBE, MP
Members House of Representatives Senate
Mr John Forrest MP Senator Paul Calvert
Mr Colin Hollis MP Senator Alan Ferguson
Mr Peter Lindsay MP Senator Shayne Murphy
Mr Bernie Ripoll MP
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Secretary Mr Trevor Rowe
Inquiry Secretary Mr Michael Ross
Administrative Officer Mrs Angela Nagy
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No. 73 dated Monday, 11 October 1999
13 PUBLIC WORKS—PARLIAMENTARY STANDING COMMITTEE—
REFERENCE OF WORK—NAVY AMMUNITIONING FACILITY, TWOFOLD
BAY, NSW
Mr Slipper (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and
Administration), pursuant to notice, moved—That, in accordance with the
provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, the following proposed work be
referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works for
consideration and report: Navy Ammunitioning Facility, Twofold Bay, NSW.
Question—put and passed.
1. On 11 October 1999, the House of Representatives referred to the
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works for consideration and
report the proposed Navy ammunitioning facility, Twofold Bay, NSW.
THE REFERENCE
2. The terms of the reference were as follows:
The Department of Defence proposes to construct a Navy
ammunitioning facility at Twofold Bay near Eden, New South
Wales, to support ammunitioning and de-ammunitioning of ships
of the Royal Australian Navy. The proposed ammunitioning
facility will provide for the Royal Australian Navy’s long-term
east coast ammunitioning requirements following the closure of
the current arrangements in Sydney Harbour at the end of 1999.
The current facilities at Homebush will close to make way for the
Sydney 2000 Olympics.
The Commonwealth-owned port at Point Wilson, Victoria will be
used for interim ammunitioning of Royal Australian Navy ships
until permanent arrangements are in place. Point Wilson would
not be suitable for ammunitioning Navy ships in the longer term
due to the additional steaming time and associated cost to the
Royal Australian Navy and the requirement to upgrade the Point
Wilson infrastructure. Point Wilson is nearing the end of its
economic life and would require considerable upgrade to extend
its life for 30 years. The cost of upgrading Point Wilson would be
greater than the cost of the proposed facility at Twofold Bay.
The Department of Defence has investigated numerous locations
on the east coast to find a site that is operationally and technically
feasible and environmentally suitable. More recently, detailed
technical investigations have been conducted at Twofold Bay,
including wind-wave studies, seismic and bathometric survey,
geotechnical testing, road transport survey, explosive ordnance