Critical Infrastructure Program Update
Site surveys for EIS preparation:
Marine Ecology – planning and approvals for proposed upcoming marine ecology surveys have commenced, details as follows:
- Surveys include collecting data on the fish community and marine habitat, introduced marine species, intertidal surveys, and water quality.
- Surveys to commence in March, 2025, and will be undertaken in the Northern and Southern Project Areas.
- Surveys are required in the Southern Project Areas to support potential construction access for material and equipment if required. No marine infrastructure is proposed to be built in the South Zone. The marine infrastructure is relocated to the North as advised in the December, 2024 householder update.
Terrestrial Ecology – surveys have been undertaken within the Northern and Southern Project Areas as follows:
- Additional areas of similar habitat outside of the project areas have been surveyed to enable an assessment of the importance of the habitat within the Project Areas in the wider context.
- Surveys have included vegetation mapping, threatened flora surveys, snail, bird surveys and reptile surveys.
- Next planned survey to record migratory shorebirds is planned for mid-February, 2025.
Phase B Community Consultation:
- Phase B community consultation period ended on 31 January, 2025.
- The Project Team will now commence a review of all submissions and comments received on the master plan concepts.
- An Engagement Outcomes Report is in progress and will be publicly available on the Critical Infrastructure Program website.
Projects Progress includes:
- Master Planning & Authority Approvals – master plans are in finalisation by the Project Team following stakeholder and community feedback. Agencies consultation is in progress on Draft Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs), including pre-referrals with DCCEEW Commonwealth for the LHI Critical Infrastructure Project available on the NSW Major Projects Planning Portal.
- Waste Management Facility – remediation planning is in progress with the EPA and LHIB. Finalisation of architectural design plans are in progress, working closely with the LHIB waste management team.
- Marine Infrastructure engineering assessment of the required infrastructure and upgrades to the existing jetty are in progress in the North Zone location.
- Replacement Vessel & Operations The Project Team are progressing contract documents for both the Marine Vessel and Freight Forwarding Services analysis and research.
- Biosecurity Infrastructure – Biosecurity Functional and Services Brief are nearly complete to inform the North and South Zone Master Plans.
Next steps the Program will focus on are:
- Finalise master plans for the North Zone (Cargo Unloading Facility and Marine Infrastructure) and South Zone (Waste Management Facility) in consultation with Government Stakeholder Consultation Group and Community Consultation Group.
- Progress the Environmental Impact Statement Report in response to the SEARs as part of requesting development approval for the LHI CIP.
- Finalise the Environmental Impact Statement Report for submission to the NSW Major Projects Planning Portal in mid-2025.
- New Marine Vessel – Tender documentation, the Contract and Technical Specification are being finalised by the Naval Architect and Transaction Team for the release of the tender in early/mid 2025.
- The “What we Heard” Report from the December 2024 /January 2025, on-Island community consultation period will be made publicly available by April, 2025.
If you have any questions or comments on the Program, please email the team at CIP@lhib.nsw.gov.au
Mt Eliza track reopens
Access to the Mt Eliza track is now permitted as the nesting season has ended for the sooty terns (Onychoprion fuscata) and their young.
It has been a successful breeding season and the chicks have all now fledged. They will spend their time at sea over the next few months until they next return to the Island in August to breed.
The Mt Eliza track is closed from 1 September to mid-February each year as the trail and summit provide important breeding grounds for these seabirds.
Little Shearwater breeding expansion
The final report on the little shearwater component of the Biodiversity Benefits monitoring program has provided insights on little shearwater breeding patterns.
The study concluded that little shearwaters were not as heavily impacted by rodents as the similarly sized black-winged petrel that utilises the same burrows at the Blinky Point study site (at different times of the year).
Little shearwater breeding success did not significantly increase following rodent removal. However, there does appear to be a widening of their distribution on the Island as shown by targeted surveys which detected birds in areas that were not previously known to be breeding sites.
It is expected that this expansion will continue now that prospecting birds can take up new locations without being disturbed by rodents.
A sample of birds were fitted with geolocating loggers which remained on the birds for 12 months before being retrieved. The resulting tracks showed that little shearwaters spend the majority of their time, both breeding and non-breeding, in the Tasman Sea. There is some movement into the southern portion of the Coral Sea and two birds briefly ventured south into the subantarctic Southern Ocean. These southern trips occurred during the breeding season (September).
The Biodiversity Benefits monitoring program 2022-2025, examined the benefits of rodent removal on our unique ecosystem and has been supported by state funding from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
