Defence: Visiting Warships

Mr Melham asked the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, in writing, on 9 December 2004:

1. Which Australian ports are currently approved to receive visits by nuclear powered warships.
2. What criteria are applied in determining whether a port is suitable to receive visits by nuclear powered warships.
3. When was the suitability of each port to receive such visits last assessed and which organisations were involved in each assessment.
4. When is the suitability of each port to receive such visits scheduled to be re-validated.

Mrs Kelly - The Minister for Defence has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:

1. Australian ports that are approved to receive visits by nuclear powered ships include:
   • Commonwealth Territory New South Wales – Jervis Bay;
   • Brisbane; Gladstone;
   • Darwin; Fremantle;
   • HMAS Stirling;
   • Albany;
   • Melbourne; and
   • Hobart.
2. The criteria applied in determining whether a port is suitable to receive visits by nuclear powered warships are:
   • Visits by nuclear-powered warships to Australian ports are accepted only to berths and anchorages that have been assessed against radiological criteria and approved by the Visiting Ships Panel (Nuclear) (VSP(N)).
   • The basis of the assessment is an estimation of the individual and collective radiation doses to the public in the event of a Reference Accident to the reactor plant on the visiting ship, and a comparison of these with radiation dose criteria. The number of potential radiation-induced cancer fatalities is provided, based on risk factors consistent with those recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection.
   • The Reference Accident is defined as a failure of the primary coolant circuit of one of the reactors resulting in a loss of coolant and melt down of the fuel in the reactor core, and the release of volatile and gaseous fission products to the reactor containment. These fission products would then be available to leak to the atmosphere and be distributed according to the prevailing weather. In the assessment, the dispersion of released fission products in the atmosphere downwind of the accident has been estimated using a standard, conservative meteorological model and the radiation doses to individuals and to the total population possibly exposed have been calculated.
3. The suitability of each port to receive such visits was last assessed as follows:
   • Darwin - 23 to 24 March 2003;
   • Fremantle - 27 to 28 March 2003;
   • HMAS Stirling - 27 to 28 March 2003;
   • Hobart - 23 to 24 October 2003;
   • Gladstone - 26 to 27 July 2004;
   • Brisbane - 28 to 29 July 2004; and
   • Melbourne - 28 to 29 October 2004
   
   Both Albany (Western Australia) and Jervis Bay are validated for nuclear-powered warships to come to anchor, and conduct emergency transfers and medical evacuations. The VSP(N) Working Group visited Jervis Bay in February 2004 and will complete a revalidation once the new Safety Plan is completed in early 2005.
   
   The following organisations provide representatives to the VSP(N), which conduct the assessments:
   • Department of Defence:
     • Commander Australian Navy Systems Command,
     • National Port Services (Deputy Master Attendant(Secretary)),
     • International Policy Division,
     • Defence Science and Technology Organisation,
     • Surgeon General Australian Defence Force, and
     • Headquarters Australian Defence Force Operations (Maritime Operations);
   • Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation;
   • Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency;
   • Department of the Environment and Heritage;
   • Department of Health and Aged Care;
   • Attorney General's Department; and
   • Emergency Management Australia.
4. The suitability of each port to receive such visits is scheduled to be re-validated as follows:
   • Jervis Bay - Early 2005;
   • Albany - March/April 2005;
   • Darwin - March 2005;
   • Fremantle - March 2005;
   • HMAS Stirling - March 2005;
   • Hobart - October 2005;
   • Gladstone - July 2006;
   • Brisbane - July 2006; and
   • Melbourne - October 2006.

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