<div>Australia’s vast marine estate offers high-quality offshore wind resources that have the potential to help produce the renewable energy that Australia will need to achieve its net zero emissions targets. Mature offshore renewable industries in Europe have demonstrated that marine geoscience is critical for supporting the sustainable development, installation, operation and decommissioning of offshore wind farms. Geoscience information is used to design targeted seabed surveys and identify areas suitable for offshore infrastructure, thereby reducing uncertainty and investment risk. These data also provide important regional context for environmental impact assessments and informs evidence-based decisions consistent with government policies and regulations. Effective geomorphic characterisation of the seabed requires a standardised, multi-scalar and collaborative approach to produce definitive geomorphology maps that can support these applications. These maps synthesise interpretations of bathymetry, shallow geology, sedimentology and ecology data, to illustrate the distribution and diversity of seabed features, compositions and processes, including sediment dynamics and seabed stability. We present mapped examples demonstrating the utility of a nationally consistent seabed geomorphology mapping scheme (developed in collaboration with European agencies), for application to a broad range of geographic settings and policy-needs, including the sustainable development of offshore renewable energy in Australia. Presented at the 2024 AMSA-NZMSS Conference Hobart Tas

<div>The development of Australia’s offshore renewable energy (ORE) industry can learn and benefit from decades of international experience and research. However, local knowledge of our unique receiving environment and the organisms that depend on it is critical for ensuring development minimises impacts on marine ecosystems. Long-term monitoring and adaptive management strategies that consistently evaluate and address environmental impacts of offshore wind farms will be necessary throughout the operational lifespan of ORE. This collaborative National Environmental Science Program project established an inventory of environmental and cultural data and best practice monitoring standards to support regulatory decision-making for ORE development for current proposed and declared areas: Hunter, Gippsland and Bass Strait, Illawarra, Southern Ocean and south-west Western Australia. We provide detail on 1) potential impacts of installation, operation, and decommissioning; 2) best practice standards for monitoring; 3) cultural and environmental values of Indigenous communities with links to development areas; 4) seabed geomorphology and habitat characterisation; potential interactions with oceanography and 5) the seasonality and distribution of interacting species. The inventory, which is available to the Government, proponents, and researchers, will improve the effectiveness of future research for the sustainable development of ORE in Australia. Presented at the 2024 AMSA-NZMSS Conference Hobart Tas