Little penguins loom as a potential torpedo for AUKUS works

The collapse of the penguin population at a nearby island has stoked fears about the impact of AUKUS works on Garden Island’s own colony.

The US Navy Virginia-class submarine USS Minnesota.

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Little penguins could prove to be a big headache for Australia’s AUKUS program.

Work on the key infrastructure needed to support the first Australia-based nuclear-powered submarines will be just one broken wing away from being forced to stop, at least temporarily, under conditions imposed on the project by Environment Minister Murray Watt.

A single squashed skink would similarly bring work on the all-important upgrades at the HMAS Stirling naval base, on Garden Island off the coast of Rockingham in Western Australia, according to Senator Watt’s decision.

Defence needs to carry out a series of upgrades and new installations at HMAS Stirling in preparation for the arrival in 2027 of the first submarines under AUKUS.

The US and, later, British nuclear-powered submarines will be based out of HMAS Stirling as part of Submarine Rotational Force West as the program’s first major step.

But the wildlife of Garden Island is proving a complicating factor. The main colony of little penguins on the island sits immediately southwest of HMAS Stirling’s main Diamantina pier in Careening Bay, while smaller colonies sit immediately northeast. All of them fall within the main “proposed action area” where the infrastructure upgrades will occur.

The order requires Defence to “immediately initiate a stop-works procedure” in the event any little penguin, Perth slider (a type of skink) or marine mammal is found killed or injured in the area, under the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s conditions. Defence will also be responsible for arranging veterinary care or assistance “from an experienced wildlife carer” for any native terrestrial or marine animal” found injured.

A little penguin on Penguin Island south of Perth. Picture: Facebook

Among other conditions imposed on the work is a ban on dredging or disposing of spoil in Careening Bay during the little penguin’s breeding or moulting periods, “or as otherwise advised by a suitably qualified seabird conservation ecologist”.

Maritime works will be allowed to take place only between 30 minutes after sunrise and 30 minutes before sunset “to avoid harm to the little penguins during their arrival, departure and rafting periods”. Lighting from construction will have to be directed away from penguin nesting sites.

Defence will also need to implement a noise and vibration monitoring program – “prepared by a suitably qualified acoustic expert in consultation with a suitably qualified seabird conser­vation ecologist” – to ensure the audible disturbances during the works do not cause harm to the penguins and their nesting sites.

That seabird conservation ecologist will also be responsible for studies tracking the size of the island’s penguin population.

“From the commencement of the action until six years following completion of construction, the approval-holder must ensure that the little penguin population is not reduced below its baseline population size as a result of the action,” the approval says.

Defence noted it had a long history of working safely alongside the existing Garden Island population.

“Defence is currently managing activity at HMAS Stirling to avoid impacts to the penguin colony at Garden Island, and has a long-term monitoring program with a local penguin expert,” a spokeswoman said.

“Defence’s environmental measures for construction works on Garden Island have proven effective. The penguin population at Garden Island is healthy and stable and has not seen a decline.”

HMAS Stirling, Rockingham. Picture: Sharon Smith

The works at Garden Island are taking place at a time of heightened concern around the health of the little penguin population at nearby Penguin Island.

The population there is estimated to have collapsed by about 94 per cent since 2007.

That decline has been blamed on a number of factors, including increased visitor numbers to the island, climate change, and warmer sea temperatures.

While the penguin population at Garden Island has in contrast been relatively stable, local residents say the Penguin Island experience shows the high vulnerability of the birds.

Dawn Jecks, long-time advocate for the Penguin Island penguins who is now a City of Rockingham councillor, told The Australian she was deeply concerned about the cumulative effect of the AUKUS works on the nearby penguin population.

“With this whole proposal, everywhere where they want to do stuff there’s penguins and penguin nests,” she said.

Ms Jecks said the combination of dredging, construction work, lighting, noise, turbidity and increased traffic and personnel movements could all take a toll.

“It really has the potential to significantly impact them,” she said. “Increased traffic near the nest sites can lead to abandonment of nest sites, physiological stress and reduced breeding success.”

Work on the infrastructure is slated to begin later this year.