Dredging Independent Audits

Independent audits

Independent audits of the Channel Deepening Project

Envrionmental Management Plan Project Delivery Standards (October 2009)

Environmental Management Plan Project Delivery Standards (December 2008)

Port of Melbourne Corporation Annual Project Report (February 2009)

Focused audit on the Entrance (February 2009)

Management of Contaminated Sediment (March 2009)

Audit of the mechanisms used to monitor environmental performance (March 2009)

Focused audit of dredging in the South Channel & mechanisms to protect seagrass(June 2009)

Targeted audit of EMP requirements for construction of the bund (August 2009)

Targeted audit of EMP requirements for sand capping (August 2009)

View images of the completed bund here

Independent audits are a condition of the Channel Deepening Project’s Environmental Management Plan (EMP) or rule book.

They are required to verify the PoMC's compliance with the rulebook’s 58 Project Delivery Standards, which are rules about where, when and how dredging can be delivered.

The Office's first Quarterly Review, released in June 2008, identified an opportunity to change the way independent audits were carried out, with the aim of maximising the transparency and effectiveness of the independent audit process and minimising the possibility of duplication.

The Office’s recommendation for it to commission and manage the independent audit process was approved by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments and PoMC in July 2008.

On 8 September 2008, the Office appointed Dr Peter Nadebaum of GHD Pty Ltd as the independent auditor of the Channel Deepening Project. Dr Nadebaum is a professional with extensive experience in environmental auditing, and has managed a long list of significant auditing projects including independent environmental audits of Victorian manufacturing facilities and interstate oil and gas operations. To view the media release click here.

Dr Nadebaum and his team from GHD will conduct 11 independent environmental audits on dredging activities during the operational phase of the Project up to early 2010.

Of the 11 audits, four will assess the PoMC's implementation of the EMP. Seven audits will focus on examining the environmental compliance of key parts of the Project including:

Ensuring that no over-dredging has happened in the Entrance;
Ensuring the bund has been built exactly as was planned;
Ensuring contaminated material is correctly placed in the bund; and
Ensuring the effectiveness of monitoring programs.

Independent audits will also occur during the two years following the Project’s completion, but will be the subject of a separate contract and tendered for in early 2010.