Public Environment Report
The Australian Department of Defence is committed to being a leader in sustainable environmental management. As part of this commitment, a draft Public Environment Report (PER) has been produced to support the introduction of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and to provide the Australian community with the opportunity to have input into this process.
The PER outlines the planned activities and locations for JSF, the potential environmental and heritage risks and impacts and how Defence intends to manage these impacts. Defence is committed to initiatives to manage potential impacts from the operation of the JSF. These initiatives will be included in standard Defence instructions and directives with the aim to avoid or mitigate potential negative environmental impacts without adversely impacting on the Air Force’s day-to-day operations at its bases and air weapons ranges.
What is the Public Environment Report?
The PER aims to:
- inform stakeholders, interested parties and the public on the planned operation of the JSF in Australia, the potential environmental impacts and possible mitigation measures being considered to minimise these impacts
- provide a forum, for public consultation and informed comment on the JSF’s introduction
- help Defence provide the Minister for the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts with enough information to make an informed decision about assessment and approval processes for the JSF’s introduction under the Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act.
A multi-staged approach
A multi-staged environmental assessment has been employed for the JSF’s introduction. Numerous environmental studies have been conducted to support the development of the final PER. A separate Environmental Impact Assessment is being conducted for the construction and management of JSF facility requirements in parallel with this PER.
The PER was developed from:
- desktop environmental review of existing studies on the project and relevant Defence bases and air weapons ranges and existing Defence environmental controls
- identification of environmental, heritage and social values of the bases and air weapons ranges that may be affected
- assessment of potential environmental, heritage and social risks and impacts associated with the planned operational activities, with a primary focus on noise impact
- focus meetings with Defence stakeholders to discuss environmental impact issues
- recommendations for management and mitigation of potential impacts.
Public consultation
The draft PER is available for feedback throughout the consultation period of Tuesday 6 October 2009 to Sunday 24 January 2010. Interested persons are encouraged to review the draft PER and make a formal submission, which will be considered in drafting the final PER.
