To properly protect the environment we need better, more accessible public data to measure changes and impacts and to understand the values of different areas.

This will help inform decision making about clearing, water licensing, development proposals and offsets, and identify what is needed to maintain and protect the ecological values within bioregions.

Key recommendations

Fund State of Environment reporting

Fund the EPA to undertake State of Environment Reporting every two years (the last report in WA was in 2007), with a mandatory government response to the report’s findings that must be made publicly available along with the SoE Report. This will ensure continual comprehensive monitoring of WA’s environmental health and trends.

Require Biodiversity Audits and Recovery Plans

Require the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) to conduct and publish Biodiversity Audits every two years and ensure threatened species and ecological community Recovery Plans are completed and complied with.

Ensure data transparency

Ensure all water licences, environmental monitoring and compliance data is publicly available through a central data portal, allowing the public to access the results of environmental impact assessments and compliance monitoring.

Strengthen monitoring and compliance

Fund and prioritise monitoring and compliance across the State, and apply stronger penalties for illegal clearing or breaches of approval or licence conditions including water licences. Ensure monitoring programs are scientifically robust and appropriate threshold triggers established.

Guarantee right to reasons

Establish a statutory ‘right to reasons’ for all decisions made under the EP Act and the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act, ensuring transparency in decision-making.