Question Without Notice No. 878 asked in the Legislative Council on 29 November 2017 by Hon Jacqui Boydell
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION —ENVIRONMENTAL APPROVALS
878. Hon JACQUI BOYDELL to the Minister for Environment:
I refer to the minister's answer to question without notice 431 in which he states that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation will consult widely with stakeholders and customers in September 2017 on its proposed approach to delivering regulatory best practice.
(1) Has this consultation started?
(2) Will the minister please provide a list of dates and locations of stakeholder meetings?
(3) What is the proposed approach to delivering regulatory best practice?
(4) How many times has the internal working group on the northern irrigation agriculture developments met?
(5) What was discussed at each of those meetings?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) Yes.
(2) Nine meetings have been held. I seek leave to have the list of dates incorporated in Hansard.
Leave granted.
The following material was incorporated —
29 September 2017 in Perth;
7 November 2017 in Perth;
14 November 20l7 in Perth;
14 November 2017 in South Perth;
15 November 2017 in Perth;
20 November 2017 in Perth;
22 November 2017 in Ascot;
23 November 2017 in Perth; and
27 November 2017 in Perth.
(3) The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation is proposing to deliver a whole-of-agency risk-based approach to regulation, which will be underpinned by regulatory best practice principles. These principles will ensure a transparent risk and evidence-based approach to regulation that delivers consistency and certainty for industry and the community. The principles will apply to all regulatory activities of the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
(4) It has met 12 times.
(5) The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation's northern agricultural development applications group role is to ensure that all of the department's regulatory environmental assessment and subsequent decision-making processes for northern agricultural development are carried out in an integrated and consistent way. Current and future applications or referrals relating to northern agricultural development are discussed at each meeting, including the current status or stage of individual applications and referrals.