Question Without Notice No. 892 asked in the Legislative Council on 29 November 2017 by Hon Robin Chapple
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT REGULATION — AUDITOR GENERAL'S FINDINGS
892. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the Minister for Environment:
I refer to the 2016–17 annual report of the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, in which, for the second year in a row, the WA Auditor General has criticised the department for having key performance indicators that do not adequately measure the outcome that the department exists to achieve; that is, that emissions, discharges and clearing of native vegetation are effectively regulated to avoid unacceptable risks to public health and the environment.
(1) Will the minister reinstate the department's previous key effectiveness indicators, which actually measured whether public health and the environment were being protected, as seen in the 2014–15 annual report?
(2) If no to (1), why not?
(3) If yes to (1), under what time frame?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1)–(3) The 2016–17 annual report relates to the former Department of Environment Regulation. When the new Department of Water and Environmental Regulation was created on 1 July 2017, new key effectiveness indicators were established in agreement with the Department of Treasury and the Auditor General.