Senator Brown asked the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, upon notice, on 8 August 2001:

(1) Can the Minister confirm that the site for the proposed wind farm at Woolnorth in Tasmania is located in one of two main avian migratory routes between Tasmania and mainland Australia and is known to be an important migratory route for more than 30 species of bird.

(2) Can the Minister confirm that a significant number of resident and migratory species of national, state and regional significance have been identified on and in the vicinity of the proposed site, including the nationally-listed Orange Bellied Parrot (critically endangered), the Wedge-tailed Eagle (endangered) and the soon to be listed White Bellied Sea Eagle.

(3) Can the Minister confirm that the predictive model that was developed to determine the impact on bird species is based on inadequate primary data, since it did not include nocturnal surveys or full migratory seasons and failed to take into account risks from turbulence around the towers and blades in spite of the known impact or turbulence in disrupting flight and causing disorientation in birds.

(4) Can the Minister confirm that the surveys on which the model was developed did not cover the full migratory seasons for key species, including the Orange Bellied Parrot, and in fact only around 13 per cent of the time the birds might be moving through the area on a northern migration was surveyed and only 7 per cent if it is assumed that birds move equally at night and only 7 per cent of available time for equal day and night movements on a southern migration.

(5) Does the Minister agree that any conclusions based on modelling developed from this primary data have no scientific validity and could in no way be relied upon to determine the likely impact of the wind farm on bird species like the Orange Bellied Parrot, the Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle or the White Bellied Sea Eagle.

(6) Can the Minister confirm that the Wedge-tailed Eagle has a wingspan of approximately 1 metre; if so, does the Minister agree that the model which only considered birds up to fifty centimetres is invalid and contains flawed assumptions; and if so, does the Minister agree that the model should be rejected as having no scientific validity.

(7) Given the paucity of the primary data on bird usage of the Woolnorth site and the invalid nature of the model developed and hence conclusions drawn about bird impacts and mortality rates, will the Minister reject the proposal.

Senator Hill (Minister for the Environment and Heritage) —The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

(1) The proposed wind farm site at Woolnorth is approximately 2km south of the Boulenger Bay area that is the most southerly summer feeding site for migratory waterbirds. The site falls within the northern and southern migration route for the Orange-bellied Parrot.

(2) In addition to the migratory Orange-bellied Parrot, there are records which show both the Wedge-tailed Eagle (nests) and the White-bellied Sea Eagle occur on the site.

(3) and (4) The information provided about the action and its relevant impacts was sufficient to enable me to make an informed decision whether or not to approve the action and, if so, under what conditions.

(5) No.

(6) Though the larger birds were not accounted for in the modelling it is possible to extrapolate from the data a percentage of mortality. The Wedge-tailed Eagle Recovery Team (WTERT) has suggested that the larger birds represent a 10% increase in avian mortality. This information can be factored into any decisions on monitoring or mitigation.

(7) On 23 August 2001 I approved the taking of this action, subject to strict conditions to protect listed migratory species and listed threatened species including the Orange Bellied Parrot and the Wedge-tailed Eagle.