WALGA undertakes both policy and projects covering a range of environmental issues, creates awareness about specific environmental issues and provides resources to support Local Government Officers and Elected Members.

EnviroNews

To subscribe to WALGA's monthly Environmental and Climate Change newsletter, click here.

WALGA Environment Platform

The WALGA  Environment Platform is an online hub for the Local Government Sector to network, share information and build capacity in Environment and Sustainability issues. The Platform provides networking groups for Elected Members and Officers.

Current Issues

Changes to the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (EP Act) 

In November last year, the changes to the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (EP Act) went through parliament and were given assent to by the Governor. WALGA has prepared a report that provides the details of the changes of most relevance to Local Government. In summary, the changes include
  • Changes to the assessment of proposals and schemes by the EPA including establishing a bilateral agreement with the Commonwealth for joint assessments and approvals;
  • Introducing cost recovery for EPA assessments;
  • Changes to the clearing permuting process; and
  • Changes to licensing, notably a shift from licensing premise to licensing activities
The report also provides an analysis of the changes against WALGA’s submission on the draft Bills introduced early in 2020.
All inquiries on this document should be directed to Garry Middle, A/Manager Environment Policy on  9213 2049.

Sustainability Comparative Analysis Report

WALGA and the City of Perth have collaborated to put together a summary report looking at a number of the leading global sustainability frameworks available to Local Government in driving their sustainability programs.  

In approaching sustainability, Local Governments need to align their work against clear and robust frameworks. There are several sustainability frameworks that allow for this, with added benefits of benchmarking and mainstreaming sustainability across organisations.

The report reviews and analyses five frameworks that have been adopted within the sector to assess their suitability for driving sustainability organisation-wide within Local Government.

What is clear when looking at frameworks, is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for any Local Government across the board. In considering the adoption of a framework it is vital that an organisation assess their own unique and context specific requirements so that any approach can be deeply embedded and become a part of the organisations identity.
 

Past WALGA Submissions

Submission to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation on Modernising the Environmental Protection Act 1986 .
Submission to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation on its  draft Compliance and Enforcement Policy.

 

The loss of urban green space and native vegetation is a very important issue for Local Government, particularly in urban areas where there is clearing of land for infill and greenfield development.
Find resources dedicated to helping Local Governments develop Local Biodiversity Strategies.
Local Governments play a significant role in post border biosecurity in Western Australia.