Study tour in Australia with interest in Ranger Uranium Mine and environmental management Students of University of Vienna Sepember 2012 SSD hosted separate brief visits from delegations of officials from the Governments of Thailand and Vietnam’ Various International delegates Oct–Dec 2012 Discussion and training in the use of the RESRAD-Offsite computer modelling software Dr Mat Johansen, ANSTO, Sydney 17–18 April 2013 Working on a journal publication with EnRad staff on measurement of 228Ra in environmental samples Dr Paul Martin, ARPANSA, Melbourne 12 June 2013 Discussion of existing collaborative work on toxicity of saline mine waters and potential future opportunities. Associate Professor Monique Gagnon, Curtin University 13 June 2013 SSD co-hosted (with Australia North) officials from Timor Leste Delegates from Timor Leste 21 June 2013 6.2 Conference Place/date (no. Papers) Life-of-Mine 2012 Conference Brisbane, July 2012 (1 paper) 2nd Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) – Australasia Conference Brisbane Qld, July 2012 (3 papers, 3 posters) 16th Australasian Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Conference Melbourne, August 2012 (1 paper) ARPS 2012, 37th Australasian Radiation Protection Society (ARPS) conference Sydney, October 2012 (2 papers) SPERA 2012, 12th South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association (SPERA) conference Sydney, October 2012 (5 papers) AusIMM International Uranium Conference Darwin, NT, June 2013 (2 papers)
Infrastructure works undertaken by JFS in 2012–13 include: installation of new monitoring pontoon in Georgetown billabong; conversion of old conference kitchenette into a sediment laboratory and set up of radon exhalation experiment. Figure 7.3 The new sediment laboratory at Jabiru Station. 7.5 Information management Information management activities provided support to staff based in Darwin and the Jabiru Field Station through library services and the co-ordination of records management. In addition to the provision of routine services, library activities have focused on further reducing the SSD Library collection and working towards integration of the collection into the Department’s catalogue and eventual decommissioning of the current SSD Library. Records management activities included paper file creation and maintenance, destruction of records in accordance with National Archives procedures, and transfer of selected records to commercial storage. During 2012-13 SSD has been working closely with the department to move to an electronic document record keeping system for all SSD records. 7.6 Interpretation of Ranger Environmental Requirements Section 19.2 of the Environmental Requirements of the Commonwealth of Australia for the Operation of the Ranger Uranium Mine provides for the publication of explanatory material agreed to by the major stakeholders to assist in the interpretation of provisions of the Environmental Requirements. No explanatory material was published during 2012–13. 7.7 Ministerial directions There were no Ministerial Directions issued to the Supervising Scientist under Section 7 of the Environment Protection (Alligator Rivers Region) Act 1978 during 2012–13. 7.8 Environmental performance SSD contributes to the Department’s sustainability objectives through a range of measures aimed at continuously improving the environmental performance of our business operations and minimising any associated environmental impacts. The Division reports on its environmental performance in the Department’s 2012–13 Annual Report. 7.8.1 Environmental Management System The Department has committed to extend the scope of its Environmental Management System (EMS) and associated certification to SSD in the future. In the interim, SSD’s operations are conducted in a manner consistent with the Department’s aim to minimise the ecological footprint on the environment. This involves a range of strategies including complying with legal and other agreements, actively promoting sustainable work practices,