Question On Notice No. 89 asked in the Legislative Council on 6 May 2021 by Hon Tjorn Sibma
Question Directed to the: Minister for Mental Health representing the Minister for Environment
Parliament: 41 Session: 1
Question
I refer to accusations of systemic waste levy avoidance in Western Australia, and I ask:
(a) can the Minister please advise the number of occasions over the previous four years that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) either received complaints about, or were alerted to, well-founded suspicions about the practice of system waste levy avoidance;
(b) on which specific dates were these complaints/suspicions brought to DWER's attention; and
(c) with respect to (b), what follow-up action occurred, if any?
Answered on 2 June 2021
(a) 39
(b)
YEAR
|
DATE
|
2017
|
23 May
25 May
16 June
21 June
24 June
26 June
5 September
6 November
|
2018
|
28 March
17 April
18 May
24 May
31 May
31 August
5 September
9 November
|
2019
|
24 January
14 March
29 May
6 June (two complaints)
21 June
6 August (two complaints)
12 August
30 August
3 September
10 September
9 October
30 October
27 November
2 December
|
2020
|
24 January
27 March
20 April
4 August
3 November
|
2021
|
27 January
28 April
|
(c) Complaints and suspicions about waste levy avoidance form part of the intelligence that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation receives and evaluates. This intelligence is collected from a range of sources including the waste industry. The Department’s Authorised Officers and Inspectors use both overt and covert contemporary investigation techniques to gather evidence under the legislation that it administers. Joint investigations with other law enforcement agencies, including WA Police, have been, and will continue to be carried out where intelligence indicates that illegal activity may extend beyond waste levy offences. If sufficient evidence is secured to demonstrate a prima facie case that an offence has been committed, enforcement action is taken in accordance with the Department’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy. When information provided by a complainant does not result in enforcement action, it is retained and recorded for intelligence purposes.
The Department is currently investigating allegations of waste levy evasion, however it would not be appropriate to comment on these ongoing investigations.