Report 8: 2020-21

Regulating Minor Pollutants

Audit focus and scope

This audit assessed if the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) and local government entities (LG entities) effectively regulate the unauthorised discharge of minor pollutants by businesses that do not require a licence (operators).

Our specific criteria were:

  • Do entities effectively identify and engage with operators to deter improper discharge of minor pollutants?
  • Do entities effectively monitor operators to detect improper discharge of minor pollutants?

We focused on DWER as the key entity responsible for regulating environmental matters under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 and subsidiary legislation, including the Environmental Protection (Unauthorised Discharges) Regulations 2004. We also completed audit work at 2 LG entities to understand how complaints and inspections were delegated from DWER and managed by LG entities.

We assessed and analysed information and available data from DWER for the period from 1 July 2016 to 6 November 2019.

During the audit we:

  • considered how recommendations from our 2016 report, Western Australian Waste Strategy: Rethinking Waste relating to operator risk assessment and over-reliance on complaints to identify non-compliance were addressed
  • reviewed relevant policies, procedures and better practice guidance
  • interviewed DWER and LG entity staff and observed relevant internal processes
  • attended a number of joint DWER and LG entity Light industry Program inspections
  • sampled complaint, incident and inspection records at both DWER and LG entities
  • reviewed DWER’s training, support and guidance material for operators
  • reviewed DWER and LG entity processes for monitoring and reporting on operator compliance.

We did not audit how DWER regulates licensed premises, contaminated sites, illegal dumping or controlled waste.

This was an independent performance audit, conducted under section 18 of the Auditor General Act 2006, in accordance with Australian Standard on Assurance Engagements ASAE 3500 Performance Engagements. We complied with the independence and other ethical requirements related to assurance engagements. Performance audits focus on primarily the effective management and operations of entity programs and activities. The approximate cost of undertaking the audit and reporting was $267,000.

Page last updated: November 26, 2020
 

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