The Australian nominated offshore wind zones are located within key areas for marine mammals which are also utilised by commercial shipping, offshore oil and gas and the fishing industry. Whilst significant offshore activities have been conducted in these areas over the past few decades, only limited efforts to characterise the underwater acoustic environment and the presence of marine mammals via acoustics have occurred. The construction, operation and maintenance operations associated with offshore renewables have the potential for significant effects on marine fauna; understanding ambient noise and marine mammal presence are key to making informed decisions on a spatial planning, project specific and regional basis. Underwater acoustic monitoring and data processing capabilities have increased significantly in recent years with programs able to deliver robust data relevant to entire wind zones. These advances can be taken advantage of with the data able to be used to determine potential effects on fauna and develop management approaches such as construction and operations plans which minimise possible effects. The monitoring and mitigation strategies which will be required can be optimised once there is a more robust understanding of the temporal and spatial presence of the various marine fauna in the zones.