Fishing and recreation to soon be off limits at Garden Island under AUKUS exclusion zone

Popular Garden Island fishing and boating spots could soon be placed off limits after the Albanese Government quietly issued new regulations declaring the entire area around HMAS Stirling naval base as a “nuclear power safety zone”. At present all of Garden Island and its surrounding maritime approaches are controlled by the Navy, with just two sections of land designated “prohibited” to public access, and their adjacent waters deemed “closed” to civilians. Garden Island is a favoured fishing spot and is also used by tourists and locals for snorkelling, diving and kayaking, but the impending arrival of nuclear-powered submarines will mean low-level radioactive waste will soon be processed in the area. In early October, Defence Minister Richard Marles signed a series of Australian Naval Nuclear Safety Regulations designed to prepare the AUKUS precinct for the deployment of US and British submarines which are scheduled to arrive in 2027. A map included in the regulations reveals the entirety of Garden Island and surrounding waters, including the only access bridge, are now considered part of the “Stirling designated zone”. In response to questions from The West Australian, a spokesperson for the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Regulator insisted a designated zone is a “regulatory boundary and does not represent exclusion zones for the public”. “Designated zones represent the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Regulator’s (ANNPSR) boundaries and clearly define its responsibilities and jurisdiction with those of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) and State and Territory radiation safety regulators,” he said. “The Regulator’s responsibility is to provide assurance to the Australian community that naval nuclear propulsion facilities and material activities within the designated zones maintain the safety and health of the public and the surrounding environment.” The spokesperson confirmed the new designated zones came into effect on November 1 in line with the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Act 2004, but stressed activities like fishing, boating and swimming which are currently permitted are able to continue. Regular Garden Island user Pete Fry, who also serves as secretary of the local fishing and aquatic association, says he would be disappointed to see popular recreation spots eventually placed off limits when AUKUS proceeds, but admits it will be impossible to fight. “We’ve had a good run of the island for a long time, and we’d like to stay there, and personally I’d love to keep going out there, but I don’t think we’re going to be able to stand up to the Government”. Fishing journalist and Western Angler magazine owner Scott Coughlan said Garden Island — and the whole of Cockburn Sound in general — was very popular for fishing and other water sports because it was protected. “It’s pretty good squid fishing. It’s quite popular in there because you can get out of the sea breeze for a bit,” he told The West. “Speaking to locals, they said the other thing is, if there is a sea breeze in they’d often travel up the east side of Garden Island, and if they can’t, that would make it a bit trickier. “With Westport looming as well, if that results in some exclusion zones, it will make getting around Cockburn Sound a little more challenging. “It would definitely have an impact both of fishing and movement around Cockburn Sound.” Mr Coughlan added he recently “heard of a charter boat doing a cruise, somewhere close to the east side and they got told to move away — that was the first time I’ve heard of that being enforced at all”. Greens Senator David Shoebridge claims the Albanese Government has “just allowed one of WA’s most popular fishing and picnic spots to be used to store, manage and dispose of nuclear waste”. “With the flick of the Defence Minister’s pen, Australia’s first nuclear waste dumps have been created,” Senator Shoebridge told The West. “If Labor does not intend to use this land for nuclear material, then why have they so clearly included these public access sites into the map like this? “The encroachment of AUKUS onto public land is already starting, and with it the first hard impacts of this one-sided deal with the US are being felt. “With this new regulation the Albanese Government is ripping up pretty much every State and Territory law designed to protect the public from the dangers of nuclear material and radioactive waste. “This is some of the most toxic waste in the world, including nuclear waste from US and UK nuclear submarines. Everyone can see AUKUS is sinking, but the real concern is how much environmental and financial damage it will (sink) before then.” The naval nuclear regulator has confirmed radioactive waste from AUKUS submarines can now be moved within the newly created Stirling designated zone, but has rejected suggestions it will be at the higher end of the nuclear scale. “Routine nuclear-powered submarine operations and maintenance activities undertaken at HMAS Stirling as part of Submarine Rotation Force-West and for Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines will result in very low-level radioactive waste,” it said. “The movement, management and storage of this low-level radioactive waste is a regulated activity licensed by ANNPSR, and those activities can only be conducted in areas in the Stirling designated zone where a licence has been issued.”

Fishing and recreation to soon be off limits at Garden Island under AUKUS exclusion zone

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