Williams et al. (2009) report on new multibeam sonar bathymetry and underwater video data collected from submarine canyons and seamounts on Australia's southeast continental margin to 'investigate the degree to which geomorphic features act as surrogates for benthic megafaunal biodiversity' (p. 214). The authors describe what they view as deficiencies in the design of the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the southeast region of Australia, in which geomorphology information was employed as a surrogate to infer regional-scale patterns of benthic biodiversity. This comment is designed to support and underscore the importance of evaluating MPA designs and the validity of using abiotic surrogates such as geomorphology to infer biodiversity patterns, and seeks to clarify some of the discrepancies in geomorphic terminologies and approaches used between the original study and the Williams et al. (2009) evaluation. It is our opinion that the MPA design criteria used by the Australian Government are incorrectly reported by Williams et al. (2009). In particular, we emphasise the necessity for consistent terminology and approaches when undertaking comparative analyses of geomorphic features. We show that the MPA selection criteria used by the Australian Government addressed the issues of false homogeneity described by Williams et al. (2009), but that final placement of MPAs was based on additional stakeholder considerations. Finally, we argue that although the Williams et al. (2009) study provides valuable information on biological distributions within seamounts and canyons, the hypothesis that geomorphic features (particularly seamounts and submarine canyons) are surrogates for benthic biodiversity is not tested explicitly by their study.

The Surface Hydrology Points (Regional) dataset provides a set of related features classes to be used as the basis of the production of consistent hydrological information. This dataset contains a geometric representation of major hydrographic point elements - both natural and artificial. This dataset is the best available data supplied by Jurisdictions and aggregated by Geoscience Australia it is intended for defining hydrological features.

25% coverage to nth east corner 22-1/E51-16/7 Vertical scale: 100

Product Specifications Coverage: Partial coverage, predominantly in northern Australia, along major transport routes, and other selected areas. About 1000 maps have been published to date. Currency: Ranges from 1968 to 2006. Coordinates: Geographical and UTM. Datum: AGD66, new edition WGS84; AHD. Projection: Universal Transverse Mercator UTM. Medium: Paper, flat copies only.

85% coverage west 22-1/F56-13/7 Vertical scale: 150

Product Specifications Coverage: Partial coverage, predominantly in northern Australia, along major transport routes, and other selected areas. About 1000 maps have been published to date. Currency: Ranges from 1968 to 2006. Coordinates: Geographical and UTM. Datum: AGD66, new edition WGS84; AHD. Projection: Universal Transverse Mercator UTM. Medium: Paper, flat copies only.

The Bass Basin is a moderately explored Cretaceous to Cainozoic intracratonic rift basin on Australia's southeastern margin, underlying the shallow seabed between Tasmania and the Victorian mainland (Bass Strait; Figure 1). The basin contains proven commercial reserves of gas and condensate that are soon to be developed (Yolla gas field, Origin Energy Resources Ltd-operated BassGas Project). Other discoveries in the basin include the White Ibis and Pelican gas fields. To date, the 32 wells drilled have targeted Upper Cretaceous to Middle Eocene reservoirs within fault blocks and anticlinal structures. The targeted succession comprises interbedded fluvio-deltaic and lacustrine sandstones, siltstones and shales. The principal source rocks in the Bass Basin are interbedded coals (ranging from 5 to 25 m thick) and lacustrine shales of early Palaeogene age. Geochemical analyses show these source rocks have generated liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, with the coals being the dominant source for the liquids (Boreham et al., 2003).

Product Specifications Coverage: Partial coverage, predominantly in northern Australia, along major transport routes, and other selected areas. About 1000 maps have been published to date. Currency: Ranges from 1968 to 2006. Coordinates: Geographical and UTM. Datum: AGD66, new edition WGS84; AHD. Projection: Universal Transverse Mercator UTM. Medium: Paper, flat copies only.

1m contours were generated for the Christmas Island urban area from the August 2011 LiDAR digital elevation model.

Product Specifications Coverage: Partial coverage, predominantly in northern Australia, along major transport routes, and other selected areas. About 1000 maps have been published to date. Currency: Ranges from 1968 to 2006. Coordinates: Geographical and UTM. Datum: AGD66, new edition WGS84; AHD. Projection: Universal Transverse Mercator UTM. Medium: Paper, flat copies only.